Harry Potter and the Horcrux Quest
by Meteoricshipyards
Summary: Starting right after HBP, Harry begins the journey to the final confrontation with the help of his friends. HL RHr but not a big part of the story
1. Prolog and The Hogwarts Express

**Prolog**

Severus Snape looked impassively at the huddled form lying on the floor before him. The boy that he had given up everything for lay barely conscious after several minutes of enduring the Crucio spell cast by the sinister figure seated before him.

"And you," hissed the voice of Lord Voldemort, "you let yourself be maneuvered into a position where you have become much less useful to me."

"With all due respect, my Lord, I believe my usefulness at Hogwarts and in the Order was at an end no matter who killed the old man. Very few of the rest of the Order trusted me. Without the old fool to vouch for me, I may have continued in some capacity, but not in one of trust. I would have been a tool, not a participant."

Voldemort looked at him closely. "You have thought about this before tonight."

"Indeed, my Lord, I have considered it most of the year."

Voldemort thought for a moment. "You should not have allowed sentiment to cloud your judgement and taken that vow. We may have been able to salvage you."

"We may have, but it would have been at the cost to your people. I could only have been trusted if I started providing very useful information to the Order, information that would have damaged your cause. Had the vow not been taken, my position could have been saved, but at a cost."

"Very well, I will not punish you. You did kill the old man. Now, give me your final report."

"With the old man's death, the school may close, but I doubt it. The Minister will want it kept open, or it will be a black mark against him. The order may be in disarray for a short amount of time, but there are several good leaders there who will take over. Attacks now will have a good chance of succeeding during the time of disorder, but with the heightened alert that the whole community will feel, it will be more likely for your Death Eaters to bring suspicion on themselves. We may want to stay quiet until the community goes back to huddling alone, where they are easy to target."

"And Potter?"

"He attacked me as I was bringing Malfoy," Snape nodded at the form on the floor, "out of the anti-Apparition wards. He was always just a passable student, given too much leeway by the other teachers due to his celebrity status. He chased me to the gates, and was unable to hit me with a single spell. I do not know exactly where he is, but the old man wanted him back with his relatives to put him under the blood protection again. If he is their hope, their 'chosen one'," Snape put all the sarcasm he could into the phrase, "then there is nothing that can stop you, my Lord."

"And how did you get those wounds?"

"I was attacked by a hippogriff near the gates. I believe it was the half-giant's pet."

"They look painful."

"Extremely, my lord."

"Very well, take that," he pointed at Draco Malfoy, "and get some healing. We will not take any actions for a least a week. Although I hear there is a wedding coming up that some of my followers will want to attend."

Snape bowed, and left the thrown room with Draco floating ahead of him. The boy wasn't unconscious. He wondered how Draco felt to be in the Dark Lord's service now, considering how much he talked of supporting him over the past few years.

Meanwhile, at Howarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter slept under the influence of a Dreamless Sleep potion.

**Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express**

Harry Potter waited until the last possible moment to leave Hogwarts Castle. He felt he had timed it right – he didn't meet a single student in the corridors or on the stairs. He ignored Filch's scowl as he passed through the big oak doors of the castle, now repaired. Only one carriage waited down the steps. Harry patted the threstral as he walked past it, and climbed aboard. It started moving right away, passing some empty carriages on their way back. The ride down the hill, out the gates, and to the Hogsmeade train station passed in a blur.

At the station, Harry again felt lucky. He wasn't too late, and the nearly empty platform held few students. He got in the small queue of students getting on the train. He really didn't want to talk to anyone. His angry resolve at Professor Dumbledore's funeral had been seriously weakened during the following hour. He had told Ron and Hermione that he planned on hunting Voldemort's horcruxes, and then defeating Voldemort. Up until the funeral he had been in a numb daze. Afterwards, he was angered by his meeting with the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, and when Ron and Hermione joined him, he put his plan into words for the first time. His friends surprised him by telling him that they would join him in his quest. He didn't want that. He didn't want to be responsible for any more deaths. He'd lost too many people. To stop it, he would finish this war. After all the prophesy said he could.

But this last hour, after saying goodbye to Ron and Hermione, that "could" kept running through his head. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord." No guarantees. And as his anger cooled, doubts beset him. Now, a plan that seemed so clear just a short time ago was clouded with his insecurities.

As he prepared to climb aboard the Hogwarts Express for what he felt sure would be the last time, a voice stopped him.

"Ho, there, Harry!"

"Hi Hagrid," Harry answered, turning to see the enormous Care of Magical Creatures professor walking up to him.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" he asked.

"I haven't felt like I was very good company, lately, Hagrid. It wasn't just you, it was everyone. I just don't know what to say."

"Aye, I know what you mean. But Harry, friends are people you can be with, and you don't have to say anything. By the way, where's Hermione? Didn't see her get on the train."

"She flooed out with the Weasleys right after the funeral. She'll go home from there."

Hagrid nodded, and smiled a bit. "Those two finally getting along. About time. I hope Ron'll grow up enough to keep Hermione from hexing him into next week."

Harry smiled back. "Well, Hermione did some pretty childish things this last year, too. I hope their friendship can survive whatever they're turning it into."

Hagrid nodded again. The train whistle blew, and Hagrid gave Harry a quick hug, and lifted Harry's trunk on to the train, which started to move. Harry jumped on and waved at his first friend in the wizarding world.

"Harry, if you need anything – a ear to listen, a door to knock down, or a critter, don't hesitate to owl me! I'll be there in two shakes of a dragon's tail!"

"Thanks Hagrid!" Harry yelled as the train pulled away, "for everything!"

Harry waved as the train pulled out of the station. He kept looking back, at Hogwarts, and Hagrid, as long as they were in sight. He did see something he thought interesting before the station disappeared around a bend. Another large figure strode towards Hagrid. Harry recognized the huge form of Madam Maxime. Life went on.

Harry dragged his trunk down the isle looking for an empty compartment. A number contained whole families. He was wondering if he would find anything when he came to a compartment with just Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom in it. He decided that this would be the best he could get, and went inside.

"Hello Harry," Neville said.

"Hello, Neville, Luna," Harry answered.

"Hello, Harry," Luna said, dreamily. She looked out the window and watched the scenery going by.

"I want to thank you both for your help the other night. I'm sorry we didn't capture more of them, but I'm sure without your help the members of the Order and the teachers might have had some casualties." He paused, and croaked out, "More casualties."

Neville put his hand on Harry's shoulder. Luna reached from the facing seat and took his hand. After a moment Harry broke down. Luna moved beside him and pulled him in a hug. Neville kept patting his back. After a while, Harry got control of himself again, wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and apologized.

"There's nothing to apologize for," said Luna. "There's nothing wrong with crying for someone you've lost. I never really knew him, but he was always funny at the opening feasts. When he told us about the list of forbidden thing on Fitch's door, it was like he was telling us to use those things, not avoid them."

Neville chimed in, "And when he gave me points at the closing feast the first year! I've never gotten many points, except in Herbology, and that was the first time. And it was given by the headmaster himself!"

They were soon reminiscing about Dumbledore. Harry shared the most stories, but Luna and Neville seemed to have encountered the old headmaster in various funny, and not so humorous, situations. Harry's description of Dumbledore's meeting with the Dursley's had Luna almost falling off the seat in hysterics.

Before they knew it the pastry cart had come and gone, and evening was coming on. They were passing through more populous areas, as the train made it's way to London. And the stories seemed to peter out, and everyone became grave again.

"So now what, Harry?" asked Neville.

"I don't know. McGonagall is headmistress now. I guess the board will decide if the school re-opens next term."

"No, not just Hogwarts, but everything. You know that prophesy was about you, even if you never heard it. Vol–Vold—e—mort has tried to kill you a number of times. You were meeting with Dumbledore this year. What's it all about, Harry? How can I help?"

Luna nodded and looked at him with that disconcerting stare of hers, but there was nothing dreamy about it. "I believe in you Harry. I always have. I'll stand beside you, no matter what."

Harry was shocked that Neville had said Voldemort's name. Luna's re-iteration of her statement from his fifth year also moved him deeply. He thought briefly about whether to tell them, or not, weighing the pros and cons, and then stopped. He decided to go with his heart, and to hell with whether it was smart or not to bring them in. They put their lives on the line for him, literally. They deserved to know. But not here. He quickly opened his trunk, and got out a piece of parchment, and a quill, and wrote his address, twice. He gave one copy to each of them.

"This is my address. I'll be there until Bill Weasley's wedding. Take the Knight bus there any day after nine, when my uncle's not around. I'll tell you the whole story."

Luna and Neville put away the addresses with promises that they would come sometime the next week.

Soon after that the train pulled into the station. The friends said goodbye, and joined the crowd of students heading out. Harry noticed a number of aurors around. Some he recognized by sight, but none by name. He headed into the main terminal and soon saw his Uncle Vernon waiting for him.

"Well, come on boy. This is all very inconvenient. Why can't that train get in at a decent hour?"

Harry followed silently. The car ride was quiet, too. Harry couldn't help feeling that it was the calm before the storm.


	2. Confrontations

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

AN/ Sorry I forgot to mention my beta readers for the first part - my children Emily and Tom. For this chapter I have Emily and Animagus to thank for keeping those commas in the right places and the verbs the correct tenses. Thanks, guys!  
And thanks to those who reviewed. I'm also posting this on FictionAlley, but they've had this chapter for 10 days - so I'm not waiting any longer. So here is:

**Chapter 2: Confrontations**

Harry had barely dropped his trunk in his room when he heard Uncle Vernon yell, "Boy! Get down here! Now!"

He made sure his wand was easily accessible, and went back downstairs. He found his aunt and uncle in the living room. Dudley watched from the kitchen, trying to stay out of sight. Harry kept his face impassive while thinking of a hippopotamus playing hide-and-seek. He took a seat, and realized that they were sitting on the same furniture as the last time Harry had been here. Then, however, Professor Dumbledore had sat next to him on the other chair. Would he be forever haunted by the memories of the people he lost?

"Yes, Uncle Vernon?" he asked, keeping his voice neutral.

"We have fed and housed you for most of your life, and now we find that you've been holding out on us. Your godfather has left you a house, and you have a vault full of gold? I expect some compensation for all the money, time, and effort that we put into you!"

Harry had thought a lot about this conversation last fall, after leaving the Dursleys'. His goal was to keep Uncle Vernon from stealing anything from him, but keep him from getting too upset. This would be a lot easier if he was of age.

"Well, I was going to give you something when I left..." Harry let his voice trail off. That was true, he did have a surprise for them on his parting day. But that really didn't have anything to do with money. "As you know, the money is Wizarding money. It isn't good here. But since tomorrow's Sunday, if you want we can try to find the house, and you can look it over."

"What do you mean, 'try to find it'?"

"For most of the past two years there's been a spell on it to keep it invisible to anyone who isn't included in the spell. I think the spell ended a few days ago, so we should be able to get to it. I was thinking I would have to owl someone to let us in, but if I can remember the address, then that proves that the spell is off. One moment!" He ran to the kitchen, frightening Dudley, and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote _Number 12, Grimmauld Place_ on it, and went back to the living room. He showed the paper to his uncle.

"If you can read this, then the spell is broken."

Uncle Vernon had no trouble reading it, and Harry nodded in satisfaction. "Good, then we should have no problem getting there tomorrow. Was there anything else at the moment?"

"Yes, that freak you left with said that you had gold in your vault. Where's the gold?"

"It's called gold, but it's really just golden coins. They're as much gold as pounds sterling are sterling silver. 'Gold' is just short for 'Golden Galleons'. But you don't want to go to my vault, really you don't."

"And why not?"

"It's at Gringotts, the wizard's bank. Besides having to go through the wizard section of the city, Gringotts is run by Goblins. If you thought that house elf that was here was scary, just wait until you've seen a Goblin. Even dark wizards don't mess with Goblins."

Aunt Petunia looked scared just thinking about Kreacher, let alone something worse. Vernon wasn't sure if he was being lied to or not.

"But if you want to go, let me know a few days ahead of time, and I'll owl the bank and set up an appointment. They won't be open on Sunday anyway."

Vernon decided that he'd look at the house, and get into the vault later. The boy's willingness to show it to him made him think that he might just be telling the truth. But then, if _he_ had money he wanted to hide, he'd tell lies, too. Yes, he'd definitely have to see that vault.

Vernon pulled a parchment out of his pocket. "We got this yesterday. Besides telling us when you'd be arriving, it also said that that freak who picked you up last fall was dead..." There was satisfied air about his uncle, and Harry leaped to his feet and pulled out his wand. Petunia yelped, and Uncle Vernon got a startled look, which changed to a more worried expression as Harry spoke to him.

"If you say one word against Professor Dumbledore, I'll hex you into tomorrow. I may be underage, but in case that letter didn't mention it, we're at war. The Ministry of Magic has more important things to worry about than underage magic!" He was furious and wasn't going to take it. Vernon saw something in Harry that made him back off.

"Uh, no...Wouldn't dream of saying anything against the man. But it says here that there's a chance your school won't re-open next year. If it doesn't, what will you do?"

"What I do will be no concern of yours. In two weeks I'll be leaving here, and you'll never see me again, if you're lucky. I better not see you again, or you won't be lucky. Now, if there's nothing else, I've had a long day. I've buried a friend, and may have seen a whole lot of people I liked for the last time. I'm going to bed."

With that, he turned and went to his room.

Earlier that day, shortly after the funeral, Hermione, Fleur, and the the Weasleys met in the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey gave Fleur a batch of potions, unguents, and instructions, then the whole crowd flooed away to the Burrow. Ron and Ginny put their trunks up in their rooms, while Mr. Weasley flooed to the Ministry to get Hermione's house temporarily connected to the floo network that evening. Ron and Hermione worked together in his room, deciding what they'd take with them to the Dursleys. Ron packed light – some clothes, bathroom supplies, a few spell books, and his wizard's chess set. They figured that they really weren't going to be cut off from the rest of their stuff, so once they were both with Harry, one of them could run home to collect missing items. They had decided that they would not leave Harry alone. He may be a good wizard, and brave, but sometimes he just didn't look before he leaped. Soon Mrs. Weasley announced that their father was home, and it was time for lunch.

Lunch at the Burrow turned out to be similar to what happened between Harry, Neville, and Luna on the train. They started with a toast for Dumbledore and finished trying to top each other's stories about him. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shared some stories that their children never heard before. Arthur shared one that it turned out Molly had never heard before, at least not completely.

It left the family staring at him, and Charlie said, "Well, now we know where Fred and George get it."

Lunch finished, and Ron and Hermione helped Molly with the clean up.

Once they were done, Ron shocked his mother by saying, "Mom, we have something we need to talk about with you and Dad."

"Oh, no! Ron, you didn't!" She looked between her son and the girl she considered another daughter. "You're so young!"

Hermione looked shocked for a moment, punched Ron in the shoulder, and quickly said, "Mrs. Weasley, I'm not one hundred percent sure what you think is going on, but I'm pretty positive you're wrong. Ron, just get your father, and we can talk, please?"

Ron, realizing what his mother was probably thinking, quickly got Arthur, and soon all four of them were sitting in the living room. Ron began, using the argument Hermione and he had agreed upon.

"Mom, Dad, we talked to Harry right after the funeral. You can guess that he's pretty upset by all this. Anyway, he said some things that have us worried. He's going to the Dursleys' because that's what Dumbledore wanted him to do. But after the wedding, he's never going back there. We're afraid that he'll be going after V-Voldemort by himself."

Hermione was proud that Ron had barely stumbled over the name.

"He's also planning to get Snape. We're not sure if he'll even wait until the wedding. So Hermione and I got him to agree to let us stay with him at the Dursleys'. We intend to keep watch on him and make sure that he doesn't go off on his own."

Molly was relieved by her son's words. Arthur looked thoughtful, and said, "Does that mean that when he does go off, you'll be going with him to make sure that he's not alone? Or that you'll stop him?"

Hermione said, "Stop him...at least until after the wedding. As Ron said, he's upset and not thinking too clearly now. By the time the wedding comes, I'm sure he'll be more reasonable. We just don't think he should be alone at that house."

"And your parents are alright with this, dear?" Molly asked.

"I don't know. I haven't asked yet. But Ron and I talked, and even if they don't let me stay there full time, I should be able to visit during the day. We'll just have to see."

"And what do Harry's relatives have to say about this?" Arthur asked.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other. Hermione answered, "We were going to present them with a _fait accompli_."

"That's totally unacceptable," Molly declared. "I thought I brought you up better than to invite yourself to someone's house – especially when you know you won't be wanted."

"Harry invited us!" Ron exclaimed.

"You said you got him to let you stay. Doesn't sound like much of an invitation to me."

"But the reasons are still good, Mrs. Weasley. Harry may still go after Snape or Voldemort, especially if the Dursleys are their normal, horrible selves. He just lost his mentor and may not feel that he has much to lose."

"No, you won't barge in on Harry's relatives. We'll see them tomorrow and straighten this whole thing out."

"But, Mom..." Ron began.

"No, not tonight. That's final."

Hermione gave Ron a slight shake of her head, stopping any further argument. They spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with the various Weasley brothers, Fleur, and Ginny. Ginny was mad that they hadn't included her in their plans, since Harry was her boyfriend.

"That's not necessarily a good thing, Ginny," Hermione said.

An angry look settled on the youngest Weasley's face. "What do you mean by that?"

"Harry's probably going to be in danger. If not right away then soon. If he's facing Death Eaters, he better be thinking about fighting and not about protecting you."

"I can take care of myself!"

"Yes, but do you think that will matter to Harry during a fight? This is _Harry_ we're talking about -- the guy with the _saving people_ complex." Her smile took the sting out of her words. Ginny giggled, and nodded sadly.

"But I don't want to be always left behind, just because we're going together."

"You won't. At the moment Harry has no plans, just the desire to get revenge. That's what Ron and I will be there to do -- to stop him. Later on, we'll make sure that he doesn't try to do something with a half-baked plan. That's when we'll make sure that all the help that he needs is available. We don't want any more Department of Mysteries. The next time we go to battle, we go prepared."

Ginny reluctantly agreed.

Shortly before dinner time, Hermione flooed to her own house. Just before she left, Ron took her aside and kissed her. It wasn't the raw passion that he had had with Lavender. It was gentler and started out calm. He still felt breathless afterwards. And the best part was Hermione's smile when it was over.

Late that evening, Ron knocked on his parents' door.

"Mom, Dad. Harry sent an Owl..."

Molly was out of bed instantly, grabbing her wand. "What happened! Is he alright?"

"He's safe. But his uncle is making him go to Grimmauld Place tomorrow. He's trying to get a hold of Harry's inheritance. He does ask that if Mrs. Black has a silencing charm on her, that it be removed before they get there. He'd also like some member of the Order to be there."

Molly put her wand down and said, "Alright, Ron. We'll take care of it tomorrow. Go back to bed, dear."

Ron nodded and went back to his room. He quickly penned an answer to Harry and sent it off with Hedwig, who had waited for the reply as she had been asked. Then he went to bed, the end of a very long day.


	3. A Sunday Drive

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

AN/ Once again, I thank Emily and Animagus to for the excellent grammar wrangling!

Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed. The next chapters are being beta-ed now.

**Chapter 3: A Sunday Drive**

Mr. Dursley and Harry left Privet Drive around midmorning. The day was slightly overcast, but didn't feel like rain. Before they left, Harry used a map to write down the way to Sirius' house. He kept watching the street signs, and giving directions as needed. He almost tried to start a conversation, but decided against it. He fumed inside, knowing that anything he said would likely lead to a verbal--or physical-- fight. Other people could go for car rides without insulting each other, or verbally abusing their nephews. Harry knew he was building up frustration, and tried some Occlumency to clear his mind. His mind didn't really clear, but the anger slipped away. His mind was full of memories, plans, and random thoughts. He wondered how anyone could clear their mind. Actually, since Snape taught it, that probably wasn't even the right method of learning Occlumency. He wondered what a book on it would say. He decided to pick one up the next time he was at Diagon Alley.

"Left at the next signal," Harry said, looking at the instructions. They were getting close. He concentrated more on his job as navigator. Which seemed unfair, since he wasn't asked to be. Harry just knew if he hadn't prepared the directions he would be in trouble. In trouble for not doing something he hadn't been asked to do. He hated his uncle.

"Right here, and then another right after the second block. Then the house should be in view, on our left, I think."

His uncle just grunted. He looked around at the older houses, and big trees that grew over the street, giving it some shade. Harry could guess that Vernon was silently congratulating himself for living on such a clean, normal street, where all the houses looked the same. They made the last turn, and Harry looked for the house. It wasn't there.

He was right about which side of the street it was on. He remembered the route the Weasleys and he had taken to Kings Cross Station. He even remembered the houses next door to the Black house. But of Sirius' house, there was no sign.

"Pull over here, Uncle Vernon. It's right near here, but I don't see it. We better stop until I figure this out."

"Boy! This had better not be one of your tricks," Uncle Vernon growled. Harry checked the number of the house in front of which they parked. It was number ten. Harry checked his paper. The address, which he had printed at the very top, was unreadable. It was like trying to read a foreign language, except the language kept changing. "Oh, no!" he thought, "Now what?"

"Well, where is it?"

"It's right around here, but you can't see it. Someone must have cast a Fidelius charm on it. Unless the Secret Keeper tells us the address we can't find it."

"What sort of rot is this, boy! If this is some sort of trick..." His face reddened, and the veins on his neck throbbed. Harry, next to him in the front seat, had no place to run.

Another voice entered the fray. "It's not rot, and it's not a trick. It's magic."

Uncle Vernon jerked as if struck. He saw someone standing next to the car on Harry's side, but couldn't see the face.

"Come on, Harry, Mr. Dursley. You might as well get a tour of the place, since you're here."

Harry eagerly opened the door, hopped out, and shook the hand of the man standing besides the car. Uncle Vernon got out slowly, and looked at the stranger who knew the boy. He was stocky, but not fat -- muscular. His hands were calloused. He wore jeans and a t-shirt and a vest of some black material, maybe leather. His boots looked similar to the vest. His face was broad and freckled, and framed with red hair.

"Uncle Vernon, this is Charlie Weasley. Charlie, my uncle."

"Pleased to meet you," Charlie said, but his manner had cooled. He took out a piece of paper, and showed Harry. Harry studied it for a moment, and then handed it to his uncle.

"Read this, Uncle Vernon."

Dursley took the paper, and read _"Harry's house is at number twelve, Grimmauld Place." _He looked up and down the street.

"You're daft. You're all daft! There's no number twelve. That's number eleven, and the next house is number thirteen! When we get home, boy, you are going to be punished!"

Harry held up a hand to stop Charlie's intervention, and said, "Uncle Vernon, look at the paper and really think about what it says!"

It was the sort of thing you just did. Like being told not to think about green elephants will almost always bring the image of verdant pachyderms to mind. Being told to think of the words on the paper brought them to Uncle Vernon's mind. When he realized that he was doing something that his nephew wanted him to do, he looked up. And stepped back, almost falling over. There, right between numbers eleven and thirteen, a house was appearing. Dirty windows, walls giving the impression of falling down, an overall feeling of decay -- yes, this was the sort of house those freaks would live in. He straightened himself, and marched up to the house.

Harry and Charlie followed him. Uncle Vernon grabbed the snake shaped doorknob turned it and opened the door. Charlie looked at Harry and smiled. The two wizards entered the house just in time to hear Mrs. Black start screaming.

"Muggles! Scum! Dirt bags infesting the ancient house of Black! Disgusting, dirty Muggles! Abnormal, fat, ugly, Muggles!"

Dursley stood shocked. His eyes bulged, and he took a few steps back. The abuse continued at a high volume, and seemed to overwhelm Uncle Vernon. Charlie gestured to Harry, and they went over to the portrait, and pulled the curtains closed. They put a finger over their mouths in a quieting sign, and signaled to Harry's uncle to follow them upstairs. They went into the parlor, and closed the door behind them.

"Sorry about that. Those of us who work here know not to make any noise in the entrance hall. The portrait is rather abusive."

"Work? What kind of work do you do here?"

"Mostly meetings. You do know that we're at war, don't you?"

"What you freaks do is your own business." Uncle Vernon didn't seem to realize that he just contradicted himself. Harry did, and looked apologetically at Charlie.

"Mr. Dursley, if you had joined the Muggle-born Support Group like you had been invited, you would know that _your kind_ are in the most danger from this war. So kindly keep a civil tongue."

"No one would be in any danger if it weren't for _your kind!"_

Charlie took a deep breath, and said, "Well, that's one bigoted opinion. I see no further good will come of this meeting. You might as well leave now."

"Who are you to tell me to leave?"

"I'm a representative of the group that has the owner's permission to use this house. I assume we can still use the house as a base, Harry?"

"Oh, yes. I told Dumbledore he could, and I'm not changing my mind."

Vernon turned on Harry. "Boy! You tell these people to clear out! And take that screaming picture with them!"

Harry looked at his uncle, and for some reason was totally calm. He figured he'd pay later, but at the moment he wasn't afraid of his uncle.

"No, Uncle Vernon. They're doing important work, that may help to save the lives of both wizards and muggles."

"DO NOT USE THAT TONE OF VOICE WITH ME, BOY!"

Harry gave his uncle a confused look. "What tone of voice? I'm speaking totally calmly."

Vernon now looked confused. For a moment the truth seemed to penetrate his awareness.

"Thanks Charlie, we'll be going. Oh, and who's head of the Order now?"

"We'll be voting on that at the next meeting. I'll let you know. We'll probably change Fidelius charms at that time, so you'll need to arrange before hand when you come here."

"OK, Charlie. Thanks for everything. Let's go Uncle Vernon."

Being told what to do seemed to return Dursley to himself. "We came here to see your house, and we will see your house!"

Harry shrugged, and gave his uncle a tour of the place. The four-poster beds and plush furniture seemed to interest Uncle Vernon more than anything. Harry didn't take him downstairs to the kitchen and the silverware (or what Mundungus Fletcher had left). A few rooms were locked, but Harry was able to steer his uncle away from them. They also missed the room Ron and he had shared a few years ago. Harry thought it was next to _that _bedroom, but it wasn't.

But when they came to Mrs. Black's bedroom, Charlie smiled, and said, "I wasn't sure if you'd get up here, so I didn't say anything sooner, but there's a friend of yours here."

Harry looked surprised, and threw open the door. Uncle Vernon saw Harry make a deep bow, then step into the room with a cry, "Witherwings!"

Charlie quietly told Mr. Dursley, "Better not go in there. It's dangerous. Just look in from the doorway."

About the same time, Uncle Vernon sniffed a strong animal aroma.

"What, you have a menagerie in there?" He moved closer to the door, and looked in. There was his nephew petting the strangest creature he had ever seen. Not strange, unnatural. And bloody well dangerous. He backed away, stupified by the sight.

"What in God's name is that thing?" he croaked out.

Charlie gently moved him away from the door.

"That's Harry's hippogriff. He inherited it with the house."

"And you keep it in here?" Vernon was still not quite himself, and allowed himself to be maneuvered into a chair down the hall. Charlie pulled up another, and sat down near him.

"No, most of the time it's quartered in Scotland. I flew him down in the early morning to give him some exercise."

"And he goes back, when?"

"I'll probably fly him back in a few days. Mr. Dursley, what are you doing here?"

Vernon was rapidly recovering.

"I came to see my nephew's property."

"And now that you've seen it?" Vernon didn't answer. "The fact is, there's no way for you to profit from this house. It's magical."

Vernon reacted in a way similar to a wizard hearing the name 'Voldemort.'

Charlie continued, "And unusable by Muggles. Harry has been generous, and in the end may never actually use the house. It's of no use to you, and there's no way you can force Harry to share his inheritance with you. His friends won't let you steal from him."

That got his attention.

"How dare you!"

"Are you going to honestly tell me that you aren't trying to get Harry's money?"

Vernon suputtered, and seemed to be at a loss for words.

"And since you're being so honest, is there any reason that Harry should be generous to you? You've lied to him, abused him, underfed him, and dressed him in rags."

"That is enough!" Vernon had found his voice. "How dare you..."

Harry came out of Buckbeak's room at the sound of shouting.

"I dare, because I am Harry's friend. Harry has lots of friends, despite your attempts to stop it."

"You, you, you - freaks!"

"You can call us names, but you can no longer abuse Harry. Your reaction has helped me agree to a plan of another friend of Harry's. When you take him home, he gets a body guard. And while Harry is prohibited from casting spells because he's underage, his bodyguard has no such restriction."

"NO! I won't have it! I forbid it!"

"Sorry, it is no longer your choice. Your actions here today tell me that we have to protect Harry from you, for the remainder of his time with you."

"Don't I get a choice?" Harry stated angrily.

"See! Even the boy doesn't want this."

Charlie smiled at Harry, "Of course you get a choice, as soon as we get out to the car. Until then, I ask you to trust me."

Harry looked at Charlie. His outburst seemed to have only amused Charlie. If it was Dumbledore who was arranging something that Harry didn't like, he wouldn't smile about it - he would act contrite, but not let his feelings get in the way. Unbidden came the thought that Snape would have sneered and insulted him. No, there was something else going on here, and Harry got the impression that this was not a bad thing.

"OK, I trust you. And thanks so much for letting me visit Witherwing."

"You're very welcome, Harry. You should probably be going now."

They made their way back to the front entrance. Vernon was strangely silent. They left the house without further incident, and Harry saw his bodyguard standing by the car.

"Ron! Did you think this up?" The tall red-head nodded, smiling from ear to ear. "That's bloody brilliant!"

"WHAT! Not another one of you red-hair freaks! How many of you are there?"

"Seven, Uncle Vernon. Ron's my best mate. Making a few extra Galleons keeping me safe?"

"Ginny would kill me if anything happens to you. I'd also have to refund her part of my salary." Ron winked at Harry.

"Any objections, Harry?" Charlie asked.

"I object!" Vernon shouted.

Charlie, still smiling, said, "Since he's hired partly to protect Harry from you, I don't think your objections are acceptable."

"It's my house! I won't have it!"

"And you won't have the 150 pounds a week for his room and board for the next two weeks."

That stopped Dursley.

"250," he countered.

Charlie and Vernon bickered a little, and split the difference. Ron would sleep in Harry's room, and (Harry's condition) they would each get as much food as Dudley. Harry whispered to Ron that they'd eat out, too, so they would get extra. He also warned Ron not to expect the feasts of Hogwarts or Mrs. Weasley's table.

Ron had his trunk packed and waiting by the car. They put it in the boot, and the three drove back to Privet Drive.  



	4. Some Meetings

**DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

AN/ I thank Animagus for the fine Beta reading!

Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed.

**Chapter 4: Some meetings**

That same evening at the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley served dinner to her family like she did every night. There were more of them there than usual, what with the wedding less than two weeks away. She looked at her brood, and future daughter-in-law, and knew something was wrong. As she walked out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of mashed potatoes, Charlie passed her heading into the kitchen. She noticed the twins deep in conversation and Ginny still withdrawn as she had been since the funeral.

Fleur was fussing over Bill, and that brought a smile to her face. He said he was better, but she knew his trip to Grimmauld Place that morning to cast the Fidelius had worn him out. She passed Charlie when she went back to the kitchen; he was carrying the serving dishes filled with green beans and carrots. She piled the rolls into a wicker basket, and put them on the table, taking her spot. Arthur still wasn't home - his seat was empty, and the place was set in case he could make it before the meal was done. She looked around - everyone was filling their plates, except Ginny. Then it struck her.

"Where's Ron?"

Charlie and Bill looked at each other. Without saying a word, or making a gesture, Bill lost the contest, and turned to his mother.

"He got a job, and won't be home for a few days."

"WHAT! What job did he get? And why won't he be home?"

"I hired him in the name of the Order as a bodyguard for Harry."

Ginny looked up, interested in something for the first time that day.

"You hired him? For Harry? This is so wrong in so many ways! He's too young. You can't hire him for the Order. If Harry needs a bodyguard, we have Aurors in the Order who can do that job. He's not a member of the Order yet..." She soon ran out of new objections and went on for several more minutes with variations of the ones she already stated. Eventually even she realized that she was repeating herself.

"Mom, it's the perfect job for Ron. First, he is old enough. He's an adult now, has been for months. Second, I certainly have the authority to hire him for the Order. He would have done it without pay, by the way, but I think this will make him more responsible. Third, he doesn't need to be in the Order to be hired by it. He's not getting any secrets. Fourth, he's Harry's friend, and Harry wouldn't accept just anyone. He almost rejected Ron. Harry's pretty tired of being baby-sat. Fourth, or is it fifth?"

"Sixth," Fred said helpfully.

"OK, sixth, since he has to stay at the Dursleys' -- probably in Harry's room -- we had a limited pool of candidates who could do that. And seventh - since Harry's protected from magical attacks because of the blood protection, Ron's real job is to protect Harry from the Dursleys, and from himself. Charlie spent several hours with Harry and his uncle. We think now that Harry's almost done with them that he's in real danger from Mr. Dursley taking his hatred of wizards out on Harry one last time before he leaves. Ron will have no problem protecting Harry from his relatives. He was well trained, from what we can tell, by Harry, and he isn't limited by the underage magic restriction.

"All in all, a perfect fit, and a good deal for both Ron and Harry."

"And Mr. Dursley is alright with this?" She gave her oldest son a very skeptical look. Bill turned to Charlie, who answered.

"He wasn't thrilled, but he agreed of his own free will. Of course, we didn't tell him that he was the main target of the bodyguard, but what he doesn't know, can't hurt Harry."

"Well, I just hope those Dursleys don't starve both of them." It seemed she had no say in the matter. Dinner was a rather quiet affair after that. The boys watched their mom warily, knowing that she was probably a tightly wound spring at the moment, and none of them wanted to give her a reason to snap. Ginny just looked thoughtful, and ate more than she had at lunch. Molly felt the old pain return - another of her sons had grown up and was leaving home.

Meanwhile, in Little Whinging, dinner at number four Privet Drive was a quiet affair, too. Even though Mr. Dursley had put an end to their talking, he couldn't stop "the boy" from looking happy. The red haired freak also seemed to be sharing some joke. Vernon seethed inside, but they did everything he told them. They weren't talking. They weren't even laughing aloud. What right had they to be happy? Dinner proceeded quietly.

Afterwards, in Harry's room, they laughed out loud.

"You were right, Harry! All we had to do was look happy, and he just kept getting redder and redder. That's so funny!"

"Yes. Pushing his buttons is easy. I was actually worried about Dudley. He could try to beat us up with some of his friends, but he's too scared. As long as he stays just scared enough..."

"What do you mean?"

"If he gets too scared, he'll lash out at the thing that's making him afraid. But if we ignore him, but watch him, we should be OK."

Ron nodded. The smile left his face. "Do you want to talk about," he paused. "You know?"

Harry thought a minute. "No. I think I want to wait until Hermione's with us. Face it Ron - she's smarter than both of us, and right more of the time, even if she's bossy. I think she's reduced the bossiness this past year, but she's still smart."

"And a good kisser," Ron added with a smile.

Harry put his hands over his ears and said with a smile, "Too much information! Too much information!"

They broke up laughing again, and settled into a game of wizards chess.

The next day, Harry got up early, forced Ron to get up, made breakfast for his aunt and uncle, and quietly submitted to Vernon's lecture on things he shouldn't do, like touch anything in the house. After his uncle left, Harry cleaned up the kitchen, with help from Ron. Aunt Petunia seemed less inclined to yell at Harry while Ron was there. After they were done with the dishes, Harry took Ron into the back yard for company and worked on the garden. Ron wondered why Harry did it, and Harry explained that for years it had given him something to do. Lately, though, he took some pride in the garden, knowing that it always looked better when he was home.

"Besides, this garden is mine. It doesn't matter that my uncle owns the land, or that my aunt claims the garden. I'll always know it's mine because I was the one who made it look good by working on it."

While Harry worked on the garden, his cousin woke up and was fed by Aunt Petunia. That was one good thing in Harry's summers -- he usually didn't have to feed his cousin breakfast, at least. After his breakfast, Dudley left the house. Harry remarked that he probably went to join his gang and beat up little kids. After another hour or so, Harry and Ron went in to get lunch. Petunia left them alone for that. She seemed to find reasons to not be around the boys. Shortly after lunch the doorbell rang.

Harry and Ron were washing the dishes when they heard Aunt Petunia say, "Yes, may I help you?"

"We'd like to see Harry, please," said Neville Longbottom.

Harry quickly dried his hands, and ran to the front door. "Neville! And Luna! Come in!"

Aunt Petunia looked astonished that Harry would dare invite his fellow freaks over. "Aunt Petunia, may I present Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. They're friends of mine from school. Luna, Neville, this is my aunt, Petunia Dursley. I invited them over to talk about plans for this summer. They won't be here too long."

Neville gave a nervous hello, and Luna smiled her dreamy smile and said, "What a lovely home you have, Mrs. Dursley. It's so neat and clean I would guess you have no problems with Bollywoggles here."

Petunia, who was off balance from having Harry's friends in the house, found her world rocking even more with Luna's half normal, half weird greeting.

"Ron, take them up to my room. I'll finish the dishes, and join you shortly."

Ron started directing Neville and Luna towards the stairs. Harry spoke quietly, "Don't worry, Aunt Petunia. Nothing strange will happen. We just have to talk for a little while."

Petunia just nodded, and walked to the living room. Harry went back to the kitchen and continued with the dishes. He picked up where he'd left off in the soapy water, when a delicate, pale hand took a plate out of the drainer, and started drying it.

"I'll help," said Luna. She gave him a smile, and pitched in.

"Daddy's very busy with a special edition. The whole thing is on Professor Dumbledore. I did the rune puzzle! The witch who normally does it moved to Canada, and won't be able to supply any new ones for an issue or two, until she gets settled in. Can you keep a secret?"

Harry nodded, just enjoying her conversation.

"I'm only telling you because I know you didn't take Runes. The answer is 'lemon drop'!"

Harry laughed, and while the conversation took strange turns and touched upon many things that Harry had never heard of before, the dishes got done. They went upstairs (after Luna complemented Aunt Petunia on her kitchen) and into Harry's room.

Neville and Ron were engaged in a game of chess, which at first glance appeared rather even. Harry learned later that Ron had played without his bishops, to give Neville a fighting chance. It didn't help, Ron still won three moves after Harry and Luna showed up.

Ron summoned chairs for everyone. Harry knew not to sit in them for more than a couple of hours. Ron's beds, luckily, lasted the night.

"Ron, can you cast an Imperturbable Charm on the door and a Silencing Charm on the room?"

"When Professor Flitwick was teaching us that, I couldn't get it quite soundproof," Neville commented.

"Me neither," said Ron. "But Hermione said it muffled the sounds enough so that no one could understand what was said." Ron cast both spells and smiled. "I love being able to do that out of school."

"Just a few more weeks for us, Neville," Harry said with a grin. Then it disappeared. "But we should probably get started. A year ago June you put your lives on the line to follow me. It turned out that you shouldn't have, it was all a trap that I fell into, but you did it. While Dumbledore was alive, he asked me not to tell anyone except Ron and Hermione what the prophesy said, but this year, once again, you risked your lives for me and I think you deserve to know." Harry then went on to tell how the prophesy survived, and what its contents were. He finished and looked at the floor. "So that's why Voldemort wants me dead, and will keep trying until he succeeds."

"Wow, Harry," Neville said, slowly. "That sucks."

Harry started sniggering at that, but it really wasn't that funny. "Yes, but I'm still stuck with it."

"Do you know what power you have that the Dark Lord doesn't?" Luna asked.

"Dumbledore said it was "love." That's all well and good, but how does that help me fight Voldemort? What am I going to do, take him out for Valentines Day?"

Harry's face showed the anguish he felt, despite his light words. Ron, who knew all this, was impassive, but inside he was worried. Neville somehow conveyed an attitude of fear and determination at the same time.

Luna looked as serene as if they were discussion flower arrangements.

"If Professor Dumbledore felt that "love" is the power the Dark Lord knows not, then he must have felt there was some way to use it. Although, that sounds like something a Slytherin would say, doesn't it? "Use love." I always considered love the goal, not the means, and if you use it as a means to an end, you aren't really in love." As she talked, she seemed to acquire that dreamy expression that she often wore.

Harry was impressed. She was the only person to address the fundamental problem of "love" as the power. Harry spoke, trying to bring her back to earth.

"But Luna, if I don't "use" it, how can it help? How does it defeat Voldemort?"

"I don't know, Harry. The power of love has brought us, your friends, to you. Could that be it? Somehow we, and Ginny and Hermione fought a dozen Death Eaters until re-enforcements arrived. What about those people? Will they follow out of love? Your godfather did. What about the rest?"

"Some. Remus, er, Professor Lupin did, and Auror Tonks, too. Most of the rest came because of duty, though. And even if that's what it meant, the only person who could have defeated Voldemort--the only Wizard he was ever afraid of--was Professor Dumbledore. He might have loved me. It seemed that way, sort of, sometimes. But he's dead. There's no one who can duel Voldemort now. I just don't know how it can be done."

"Harry," Luna had again regained her focus. "We don't know yet, but I believe we will find out. Perhaps at the moment knowing we love you is enough, and we can think about this and talk more another time."

"Yeah, Harry," said Neville. "We're with you, no matter what. So, assuming that you have some time to figure this out, what are your plans for the summer? How can we help?"

"Thanks guys. I don't think there's really anything you can do to help, but I really appreciate your offer."

"No, Harry," said Ron.

"What?"

"No. You're going against the Dark Lord! This isn't some Wizarding tournament where you might get hurt. This is the most evil, and now most powerful Wizard in the world. I can't tell you who to pick, or what to share with people, but I don't think we're in any position to reject help that's offered to us. Sure, maybe we can't trust everyone, but I think Neville and Luna have earned your trust. Voldemort,"--and he didn't even stumble over the name--"isn't going to play nice. I'm going to be with you, no matter what, and I'd be honored if Neville and Luna were fighting with us. The last time we faced Death Eaters they didn't even have the advantage of the Felix Felicis potion."

Ron paused, and took a breath like he was going to continue, but Harry cut him off.

"Ok, Ron. You're probably right, I shouldn't automatically turn people away." He turned to Luna and Neville. "I just never had many people I can count on, and I guess I don't recognize them when I see them. Sorry guys."

"It's alright Harry," said Neville. "No one's ever really counted on me before."

"We're not the 'In crowd', Harry. We appreciate you accepting us," Luna added.

Harry took a breath, and didn't look at them, as he started talking again.

"Dumbledore wanted me to keep this secret, except for Ron and Hermione. I'm not sure why, except that he was worried if word of this got back to Voldemort, that it would ruin everything.

"Luna, you were more right than you know. There is time to figure it out what power I have, because before I can defeat Voldemort - however I do it - there's something else that has to be done first."

Harry explained the Horcruxes to his friends.

"The fun never ends, does it Harry," Neville said, trying to lighten the mood. It did help a little.

"Harry," Luna said after a thoughtful pause, "does it make sense to store your treasure in a weak vault? I don't think Voldemort would split his soul and then store it in a mortal vessel. I just don't think his snake is one of them."

"If it's not, then we have two Horcruxes that we don't know. There's still the missing locket, and Hufflepuff's cup. What are the other two? And where's the locket?"

"And who is R.A.B.?" asked Ron.

No one could answer those questions. Harry described his next few weeks - a couple of weeks with the Dursleys, the wedding, then probably a few weeks at The Burrow. After that - he wasn't sure.

"Well, I'll see you at the wedding, at least," said Luna. "Ginny made sure I got an invitation."

"I'll be there too, with my Gran," Neville added.

"Good, then we'll get together then and discuss the next steps. If you think of anything, owl me."

"Hermione knows what you told us, doesn't she?" asked Luna. Harry nodded. "Have you told Ginny?"

"No. I was keeping it a secret as Dumbledore requested. I will tell Ginny, but I won't put this into a letter and send it by owl."

"That's what I thought. If you want, I can tell Ginny. She'll be mad if you make her wait after telling everyone else."

"Ok, but make sure you're alone. Thanks Luna."

They spoke a little after that, of nothing important, and when they were done Ron summoned the Knight Bus for Luna and Neville. Then they went back to Harry's room to let Ron beat Harry at chess again. Harry did take time out from losing to owl Hermione, telling her about his bodyguard, and that Luna would, as he put it, "fill Ginny in on all his plans for the summer." Hedwig seemed happy to have something to do, and flew off into the gathering dusk.

That evening, at Twelve Grimauld Place the Order of the Pheonix met. In the confusion after Dumbledore's death, the Fidelius Charm had been off the house for several days. Until, in fact, Harry had reminded them. They had searched the house, and it was undisturbed. And now a good portion of the Order had assembled there.

Minerva McGonagall shook hands with Dedalus Diggle, the newly elected head of the Order. While she had been (and continued to be) treasurer, she didn't feel that she was the right person for the leadership role.

The different department heads had each given an overview of their activities. Tonks was head of Harry's protection. Arthur Weasley was the liaison with the Ministry. Professor Vector was the head of intelligence. And Dedalus Diggle was the chief of counter-Death Eater operations. Madam Maxime was the Order's legate with the European Wizarding governments. Several individuals were contacts with various magical peoples: Remus with the Werewolves, Hagrid with the Giants, Bill Weasley with the Goblins, Fleur with the Veelas, and Professor Flitwick with the Merpeople. (The Centaurs had rebuffed every delegation.) Many of the rank and file members worked in multiple areas. Bill Weasley probably did the most, helping out with the combat groups who tried to respond to Death Eater activities, working with Vector on intelligence analysis, taking stints protecting Harry. He would have been elected head of the Order, but declined. He was still recovering from the attack. There was a lot more interaction between the members than usual. Dumbledore rarely had the whole Order together. Different anti-DE squads compared notes. Flitwick, who was an excellent duelist in his younger days, gave pointers to the fighters, and received first hand information in return. After a while, Diggle called the meeting back to order.

The final business of the meeting was to discuss offering Harry membership in the Order. Molly Weasley was opposed, arguing that he was too young. Tonks felt that Harry should be in, it would make protecting him easier. McGonagall reported that Dumbledore had several private meetings with Potter over the school year, but she wasn't given any indication of their content. She also reported that Harry had gone off with Dumbledore the night he died, and had refused to tell where the two of them had gone, and what they had done. In the end, it was almost unanimous. Harry would be invited that week.

-----------------------------------------

Please review! Thanks.

Next time: An Official Visit From an Official


	5. An Official Visit from an Official

**DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

AN: I thank Animagus for the fine Beta reading!

Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed.

**Chapter 5: An Official Visit from an Official**

The next day started like the previous. While Harry weeded the garden, Ron relaxed and entertained Harry by reading passages out of one of Gilderoy Lockhart's books. They were interrupted by Hedwig with a response from Hermione.

_Dear Harry and Ron,_

_I'm glad you two are together. I wanted to join you, but something has come up at home, and I won't be able to see you until next week. _

_I'm surprised you told Luna your plans. I hope you know what you're doing. I think Ginny should be kept informed, though. I hope Luna sticks to facts when she tells Ginny. Have you heard about the Rotfang conspiracy? Ask Luna about it sometime. _

_Be careful. Ron, take your job seriously! I'm looking forward to seeing you again. _

_I remain your friend,_

_Hermione _

Ron read it after Harry. He looked around, as if checking the area for enemies for the first time. Harry laughed, and said, "The blood protection should be in effect here, too. It obviously doesn't work away from the house, or else those Dementors wouldn't have been able to attack me two summers ago. Let me finish up here, get cleaned up, and I have an idea for something to keep us busy for awhile. Meanwhile, you write Hermione back."

After cleaning up they had lunch, once again alone. Petunia and Dudley had gone out to eat, so as to avoid the two wizards. While they were cleaning up, Harry said, "Ron, there's two things I want to do -- one dangerous, one not. I need to go to Gringotts. That's the dangerous one. Then I want to go shopping for some clothes that fit me. I am so tired of wearing Dudley's rags. I'm going to be free in a few weeks, and I want some clothes of my own."

"You sure about this mate? Before I went to Diagon last summer I wouldn't have believed that it was a dangerous place, but now -- it's got to have gotten worse."

"I know, but how else am I going to get some money? I wish there were a way to avoid it, but there isn't. Shall we go?"

"Might as well. The sooner, the better. We're Gryffindors, right?"

"Exactly!"

They walked several blocks from Harry's house, before they summoned the Knight Bus. It was fairly empty, and dropped them off at the Leaky Cauldron after just a few stops. They greeted Tom at the Cauldron and exchanged a few words with him. He was concerned about them being in Diagon Alley alone. When Harry told them he was going to Gringotts, Tom lent them some floo powder and they skipped the street. Harry got a large sum of Wizarding and Muggle money, and, after it was explained to him, a check book to access his funds. Ron was surprised at their next stop, Madam Malkin's. Harry ordered a formal outfit for the wedding. They were a dark blue, the color of the sky shortly before night fell. It was fairly plain, and Ron looked at Harry as Madam Malkin made adjustments on the size.

"I like it. Not over done with lace and things," Ron said. "It has a quiet dignity. Too bad you don't," he teased. "Of course, if it were orange it would be better."

"So, are you wearing orange to the wedding?"

"No, Bill already ordered our robes, to go with his. Green, to set off his hair."

After Harry had been fitted for his robes, they looked out the window to see if it was safe. The street was almost deserted. All the hucksters were gone, having no foot traffic to sell their wares. Some of the other shops were closed, also. War was bad for business. Madam Malkin told them that she would have to close if Hogwarts closed. She couldn't afford to stay if she didn't get the business from the children's uniforms. Harry paid for his purchase, using his first check, and asked that the robe be delivered to the Burrow. They made a quick stop at the bookstore, where Harry picked up a book on Occlumency. The two teenagers then went quickly to the Leaky Cauldron and out into Muggle London.

Ron and Harry spent the afternoon getting Harry a new wardrobe (and Harry bought Ron a new pair of jeans and a couple of shirts).

Meanwhile, at the Burrow, Luna was visiting with Ginny in her room. Luna risked the underage magic rules by casting a Silencing Charm, and sat down with a slightly confused Ginny.

"Ginny, Neville and I visited Harry yesterday."

"You did? And you didn't bring me along?"

"I haven't seen you since before the funeral. Harry invited us to his relatives' place on the train, and you weren't on the train, you know."

"But why would he do that? I mean, sure, Neville is his roommate. But he's hardly talked to you all year long!"

"We did go to the Christmas party. He was very nice to me that night." Luna either didn't see, or ignored, Ginny's look of anger. "While we were with him on the train, Neville pointed out that a lot of things happened to Harry over the years that relate to Voldemort." Ginny shuddered at the name, and wondered at the casual way Luna said it. "He was very perceptive in guessing that Harry will have more encounters with the Dark Lord, and wanted to know what Harry was going to do about it. Harry didn't feel comfortable telling us on the train, so he invited us over to talk. And you have an animated dust bunny on your shoulder."

Ginny looked at her shoulder, alarmed. Then she smiled, and introduced Luna to Arnold the Pygmy Puff.

"He's so cute. But we have such a Bollywoggle problem at my house that I don't think he should come over. But after we got to Harry's place, and cleaned up from lunch..."

"You had lunch with Harry?"

"No, just helped him clean the dishes."

"Why?"

"Because they were dirty. It wouldn't make sense to wash them if they were already clean."

Ginny was getting a little annoyed at Luna. "Luna, what did Harry say?"

"He said I could tell you, so you wouldn't feel left out, because all the reasons he had for telling us apply to you, and I thought you'd be upset if you had to wait until the wedding when Harry gets here to tell you in person. So as long as no one can hear us, and we don't tell anyone else, I can tell you." She stopped and looked at her friend.

"Luna, will you tell me already?"

"Oh dear, I seem to have started at the end, and when I reached it, I stopped. I'm sorry. What he told us starts two years ago with the prophesy, which actually was made before Harry was born, so I guess that's more than two years ago. But the prophesy wasn't lost, and Harry knows it. It says that Harry is the one who can defeat the Dark Lord with, quote, a power the Dark Lord knows not, unquote. It turns out that when Voldemort tried to kill Harry as a baby, he was just fulfilling the prophesy. Harry said Dumbledore said the power the Dark Lord knows not is love, but we have no idea what that means. I mean, we know what love is, but how that helps defeat Voldemort, that we don't know."

"Oh wow, he's going to defeat You Know Who! This time he won't be a baby, and he'll really be a hero!" Ginny was smiling, thinking about Harry's eventual triumph.

"He might not, and he won't be."

"Huh?" Why wasn't Luna happy? "This is good news, right?"

"No, it's not. The prophesy doesn't say he will defeat Voldemort, only that he's the one with the power to do it. And it doesn't say what the power is, only that he will have it. And it doesn't say that he'll come out of it alive, even if he defeats Voldemort. And even if he does, Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, not even Voldemort."

"When you put it like that... Don't you think Harry will defeat Vol --You Know Who?"

"I don't know, Ginny. Harry's quite aware that the prophesy isn't a victory announcement for him."

Ginny turned away. She didn't know what to think. Harry had to face You-Know-Who, and wasn't sure if he would win? But he had to do it anyway?

"Oh, Luna! What will happen if You-Know-Who kills Harry!"

"Bad things, Ginny. Especially for people like us who fought him."

Ginny started crying, and Luna took her friend into her arms. After a while Ginny's sobs stopped, and Luna released her.

"Harry can't lose, Luna. He's got a string of victories going all the way back to when he was a baby." Ginny had put a false smile on her face. Luna didn't find it too convincing, but she didn't think Ginny was trying to convince her.

"Ginny, tell me about them."

Unlike other times when they had talked, or even the beginning of this conversation, Ginny noticed that Luna didn't have her dreamy expression. If anything, Luna was concentrating harder than Ginny had ever seen her concentrate before. Later, when Molly Weasley poked her head into Ginny's room to, she thought, rouse her daughter and get her to eat something, she found Ginny and Luna still talking behind a Silencing Spell. Since it was so late, Luna stayed for dinner, and eventually stayed the night, listening, and questioning Ginny about Harry's encounters with the Dark Lord.

Just before they went to bed, Luna asked, "Ginny, can I borrow your owl? I have to owl Hermione."

Another day came to Privet Drive, and Harry and Ron followed the same routine that they had the other mornings. After working on the yard and cleaning up (and putting on new, fitting clothes) they went down for lunch.

About the same time, a few blocks away, two men suddenly appeared in the park. They looked around, and saw that their entrance had been unobserved. So far so good. They took their bearings and headed down a street towards Privet Drive. One had a sort of cat-like grace about him, despite a limp. The other was lanky and had a head of red hair. He kept consulting a notebook, and directed the older man towards number four. They knocked on the door, which was soon opened by Petunia Dursley. She looked at the men, especially the red haired one.

"Just because we took him in, doesn't give you any right to come barging into my house! We put up with you lot enough! Now get off my property!"

"Mrs. Dursley, I presume?" the older man began.

"Don't you go around presuming in my house. Begone, you freaks!"

"I'll have you know that I'm the Minister of Magic!" Petunia shrank back as if hit. She recovered quickly, and looked around outside to see if anyone was looking. She didn't see anyone, but they could be looking through the curtains.

"I don't care who you are! I've had enough of all of you!"

"Petrificus Totalus," the Minister said quietly, while pointing his wand discretely at the woman. He stepped in and caught her before she fell. The red head stepped inside and closed the door. They gently lowered the woman to the floor, stood up, looked around, and found Harry and Ron aiming their wands at them.

"Arresting innocent people isn't enough? You have to hex women and break into their houses now?"

"Potter! That's not it and you know it!" cried Percy Weasley.

Minister Scrimgeour signaled Percy to be quiet. "Harry, I'm very sorry about that, but she was making a scene. We didn't want to attract attention."

"You couldn't just leave as you were asked? Finite Incantatem!" He went over and helped Aunt Petunia up.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Petunia. It seems that property rights and justice don't matter to the current government. You better take Dudley and go out for a while. He won't be here at supper time." Ron laughed and Percy choked at Harry's comment.

Petunia wasted no time collecting Dudley from the kitchen, and leaving the house.

"Well, you had your little joke, Potter. Can you put down the wands and talk, please?"

"We've talked twice. You said the same thing twice. I've said the same thing twice. Why should I talk to you again?"

"Because I have things that I think you should hear. Percy, why don't you and your brother go somewhere and reminisce about your family."

Percy and Ron looked daggers at each other.

"Go on, Ron. Take Percy upstairs. I don't think this will take that long."

Ron lowered his wand, but didn't put it away. He led Percy upstairs to their bedroom, conjured up some chairs, and sat looking at his brother.

"You're still following him," Percy said.

"He's my friend. Friends are worth almost everything. Do you have any friends, Percy? Did you leave the family for your friends, like Sirius Black did?"

"What are you talking about! Black was in Azkaban."

"Before that, he left his family because he didn't support the dark wizards, like Voldemort." Ron enjoyed watching Percy flinch at the name. "Did you leave us because we support Voldemort?"

"Stop saying that name!"

"Well, why did you abandon us?"

"I didn't abandon you. You all decided to follow a crazy wizard! What good has it done? Black's dead. Dumbledore's dead. You follow Potter and you'll be killed, too."

Ron got ready for an angry retort, but then stopped. He suddenly realized that this was a chess game. He would destroy Percy's arguments one by one as if they were chess pieces.

"Why do you say he was crazy, Percy?" Ron asked calmly.

"You read what they said in the paper. He'd lost his touch. That business at the end of the Triwizard."

"What business?"

"You-Know-Who's return!"

"So he was crazy because You-Know-Who didn't return?"

Percy saw his problem. "No, He did."

"Then what did Dumbledore do that was crazy?"

And the match was on.

Downstairs, the Minister and Harry sat in the living room.

"Potter, is Binns still teaching?"

"Yes, sir."

"There's another mistake of Dumbledore's. Sure, he didn't have to pay a ghost, but he was a terrible teacher.

"Do you know the Wizarding population of Great Britian and Ireland around 1925?"

"No, sir."

"Aproximately thirty thousand. That was about what was here before the Great War, what became known as World War One. Then came Grindelwald and World War II. There's not much a wizard can do when a buzz bomb is falling on your house or workplace. And we had plenty of wizards who felt it their duty to fight in WWII. So we had casualties from both the Muggle battle and the attacks by Grindelwald. But something else happened, and this is very important. The Pure Blood supporters didn't only target their opponents, whether pure-blooded or not, but also their businesses and investments. Tell me, Potter, what do you do if your business is destroyed? Or if your place of employment is?"

"I don't know, sir. Start another? Look for another job?"

"Exactly, except you're unwanted by those who aren't likely to be attacked, and likely to end up someplace that will be attacked."

"Learn to fight?"

"Some do. But if you have a family to support, you might not feel up to protecting them and your employment. No, what a lot of families did is they left - moved someplace that wasn't at war. At the end of Grindelwald's war the Wizarding population of Great Britain and Ireland was less than twenty thousand humans. We were almost to twenty six thousand by the time You Know Who started his rise to power in the '70's. Not all of that was from home grown population increase, of course. The Wizarding communities of Eastern Europe were being decimated by the Communists. I think the last wizard, The Magician out of Manchuria led the final exodus from China in 1964. But anyway, You Know Who ..."

"Voldemort." Scrimgeour scrunched his face.

"Please, you don't know. Early in the war - after a lot of attacks on the foreign, immigrant Wizards - they started a campaign of attacking people who said his name with the Cruciatus Curse. They'd be left alive the first time. Anyone saying it a second time was tortured to death."

"Then call him by his real name, Tom Riddle, Junior."

"That's his real name?"

"Yes, and he's a half-blood. His father was a Muggle."

"Hmm, very interesting. Perhaps we can do something with that. Please tell me more."

Harry gave the Minister a brief sketch of Riddle's background and childhood. He left out anything that might relate to the Horcruxes, like his murder of his own father and godfather. It was clear that Scrimgeour wasn't interested in more depth, anyway.

"Yes, we'll have to see if we can use that. But where was I? Oh yes, the first war. It started, as I said, against the immigrants. They didn't have much popular support, and a lot of people thought if they were driven out that things would be better. Well, they were driven out, and things got worse. The killings started, not just against Half-Bloods and Muggle born, but anyone who opposed, uh--Riddle, was it?--Anyone who opposed him. We were losing by the way. Sure, there were minor victories, but more and more people felt that they could put up with being ruled by Riddle if the killing would stop. The Aurors and the Order did their best, but it was getting harder to get people to fight back. And of course those most in danger left. When you finally stopped Riddle the first time, the population was down to twelve thousand. He and his Death eaters had killed maybe seven hundred. But that's seven hundred families that's impacted, and hundreds of small wizarding business.

"He halved the wizarding population of our country in ten years. And now it's starting again. Diagon Alley is being de-populated. Hogsmeade started to feel the pinch with the cancellation of Hogsmeade weekends for the students of Hogwarts.

"Potter, what we are looking at is the destruction of Wizarding Britain. We are looking at devastation at least as bad as happened in parts of the world under the Communists. Our whole culture will be gone, it will just be Riddle, his Death Eaters, a few who either can't get away, or are slaves, and the Muggle population. And the last will have no protection. We have to rally the population and give them something to hope for, some glimmer of hope so they don't leave, like Ollivander. You could be the rallying point."

"Olivander is alive? He wasn't killed or captured?"

"Oh, he's alive. He moved to one of the Wizarding communities in the United States. We have Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, they have dozens of towns spread throughout the continent, including some larger than our entire population."

Harry considered this information.

"It won't work."

"How can you say that?"

"What happened to Fudge when the truth came out? Lies only hurt people, and create a backlash when they find out they've been lied to. I can't lie to the Wizarding world. I never said I was the chosen one. I never claimed that. I'm a sixth year student. I'm no superman. I'd like to help, but I won't lie. Imagine the impact if you created false hope based on me and the Death Eaters kill me? The ministry may not be trustworthy, but I intend to be."

Scrimgeour sputtered. He may have been used to attacks from the Press, but not to his face.

"The fact that Umbridge isn't in Azkaban is proof that the Ministry after Fudge can't be trusted."

"Why should Umbridge be in Azkaban?"

Harry explained about her time at Hogwarts, the Dementors and his trial, the threat of the Unforgivable, and the Blood Quill.

"So that's what that scar means. I'd give you my word that she'll be in Azkaban soon, but you have no reason to believe me. But just watch the _Prophet, _and you'll see."

"I'll believe it when I see it, Minister. But whether you're trusted or not, you have the responsibility to do something. Somehow, I don't think trying to convince a sixteen year old to give you lip service is what you should be doing."

"We're trying!" Scrimgeour answered angrily. "What you suggest we do?"

"How about giving all the Muggle-born and Half-Blood families portkeys so if they're attacked they can escape? Have a set of Aurors standing by the secured reception room. The Aurors can take the portkeys back to the site of the attack, and others can secure the families, being ready for a trap. You'd have to be ready for multiple groups showing up simultaneously - the Death Eaters do multiple attacks on the nights they go out, trying to make it difficult for the Aurors to concentrate. This will work for a little while until the Death Eaters change tactics."

Scrimgeour looked at him. "You just thought this up?"

"No, Ron Weasley and I were trying to think of some way to keep Dean Thomas' family safe. He's a Muggle-born. His family has no protection should they be attacked."

"That's not strictly true. A number of the Muggle-born and half-blood families have formed a group called the Muggle-born Support Group. They've had the areas around their homes warded. Should a wizard or witch cross the wards without giving the password, many of them have guns and will shoot first and ask questions later. They also have magical signals to summon Aurors."

"You did that?"

"Actually, no. They did. I think the Order helped. It's stopped some attacks. Lately the Death Eaters have used more attackers. And the Aurors have to appear outside any anti-Apportation shields the Death Eaters put up. As you say, tactics change as defenses are discovered. See, Harry, you have already helped us. Won't you help us more?"

Harry sighed. "If we come up with any more ideas, I'll let you know. But I won't let you use me!"

"Very well, Harry. I'll take what I can get, and do so with gratitude.

"Now, there was actually another reason I came. Dumbledore's will has been read."

Harry felt his blood run cold. Scrimgeour noticed the sudden change in the boy. Yes, he really was only 16, and when his guard fell, Scrimgeour knew he was out of his depth.

"Dumbledore left most everything to his brother, or the school. He did leave a box for you. We think it has papers in it. We can't open it, but if you'd come to the ministry some time, you can get it then."

"And you'll get a look at them, too, I suppose." Suddenly, the mistrustful Harry Potter was back.

"Not if you don't want us to. I'm hoping that after seeing what's in it, that you'd feel that you could trust us enough to know what he said. If not, so be it. I want you to work with us freely. I won't force you to. Oh, yes, there are two conditions on the bequest. First you have to be an adult, which will be at the end of the month, if I recall correctly. The second is that you get your Apparation license. If you want, I can arrange to have you take it at the Ministry on your birthday."

"Can Ron Weasley take it again, then, too? He failed his first test."

"OK, I'll see you both on July 31st."

"Weasley!" the Minister called. Ron and Percy appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Which one?" Ron asked.

"He wants me, of course! Coming sir," Percy answered.

As they walked to the door, Ron called, "Percy, you're my brother. We love you. _I_ love you. Don't cut us off."

Percy looked back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I'll see you at the wedding, Ron." Then he and the Minister of Magic left.

* * *

**Author notes:** Next time - Goodbye to the Dursleys

Please review. That way I know people are reading. Thanks!


	6. Goodbye to the Dursleys

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. **  
Author's Notes: **Thanks to Animagus and Deydania for the excellent beta work. Without their help there would have been at least one instance of "the the".

**Chapter 6: Goodbye to the Dursleys**

The next week and a half passed mostly without incident. The day after the Minister visited Hedwig returned with a message from Hermione. She apologized for not being with them at the Dursleys, but explained the agreement she had reached with her parents for the summer. The first two weeks would be spent with her parents while working on a secret project. Friday before the wedding she would take them back to her parent's house to spend the night. The following morning all three Grangers, with Ron and Harry, would travel to the Burrow. After the wedding her parents would be leaving for a month's vacation. Hermione would contact them before the vacation was out, and update them on the state of the war.

She had one more thing to tell them that she felt was quite unusual. Luna had owled her, asking to meet. Hermione had agreed, but she wasn't sure what it meant.

Ron and Harry kept Hedwig very busy the rest of the week, carrying notes between the sextet, since they didn't have any other way to contact each other. Ginny was happy to hear from them, and wrote them all about the preparations for the wedding. She thanked Harry for filling her in. She didn't mention that it was Luna who gave her the information. Hermione wrote about Luna's visit, and how they had talked all afternoon, though she gave no indication of what they discussed. Neville also sent a note telling of a visit he received from Luna. She asked about Harry's adventures at Hogwarts, especially what Neville could tell about the Triwizard Tournament and Harry's nightmares during the fifth year. Harry and Ron couldn't figure out what Luna was doing. She had always been so laid back, now she was contacting and visiting people? And asking questions about Harry? What was going on?

Charlie showed up on Saturday with a check for the Dursleys for a week's worth of Ron. His mother came along with him. They ran the bell while Vernon was having breakfast. Petunia answered the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley. I'm Molly Weasley, and this is my son, Charlie. Charlie has some business to discuss with your husband, and I would like to see my son, please."

Charlie turned to his mother and said, quietly, "I'm perfectly able to speak for myself."

"Of course you are, dear. You go have a nice chat with Mr. Dursley, and I'll speak to Ron."

Petunia let them in and told Molly, "He's upstairs, first bedroom on the right."

She went up the stairs, noticing how clean everything was. No dust anywhere. Nothing was out of place. She felt a little guilty about her own housekeeping. Of course the house was tidy, but with seven children, who had time to Scourgify every surface to get rid of dust and dirt? She knocked on the door.

"Come in," Ron answered.

Molly entered the bedroom. She could see that it had been expanded. There were two large beds, a desk with a sturdy chair, and a plush comfortable chair with a foot rest. Everything was in Chudley Cannon orange. Ron had found that his conjured furniture lasted longer when it was orange. Harry hated it, but gave in to the necessity. The lounge chair was currently occupied by Ron, who was reading Harry's _Obscuring the Mind - An Introduction to Occlumancy. _Harry had read it, and was practicing every night and morning, and sometimes in the middle of the day. Ron, bored during those times, had decided to join him. He looked up, and was startled to see his mother.

"Mum!" he began, jumping out of the chair.

"Don't you 'mum' me, young man. How could you just go off without telling me? Before Bill told me what you were up to, I thought all sorts of things that could have happened to you! How could you do this to me?"

Ron guessed that some of those thoughts of his mother's were about to happen to him. He took a breath. It was one of the tricks the book talked about - taking a calming breath, and organizing your thoughts. He remembered the talk with Percy. He had to keep calm.

"Mum, let me ask you something, and I want an honest answer. If I had asked for permission to take this job, would you have given it?"

"Maybe."

"Honestly, Mum. You know you didn't want me to come just the day before."

"But that was because you were just going to impose yourself."

"When Bill told you I had this job, did you object?"

Molly looked around the room. She tried to think of a way to avoid answering. There was some good magic work here, she thought.

"Mum, I know you're worried about me, and you want me near. But you just _want_ me. Harry _needs_ me. I love you, but this is something that has to be done. If you're really worried, just remember that there are Order members outside watching us too."

Molly gave a sigh, and sat down on the chair by the desk. "Tell me about your week, Ron." With that, Ron knew he had won.

Charlie gave Mr. Dursley the check. It was accepted without a word. Charlie took Harry aside, while he joked about it being a small price to pay to get rid of Ron. Once they were alone, they discussed Harry's joining the Order of the Phoenix. To Charlie's surprise, Harry didn't jump at the chance to join. He said he would have to think about it, and would give his answer at the wedding. He explained that while he trusted most of the people in the Order, Snape had been part of it, too. What if he wasn't the only spy in the Order? Soon after, Charley and his mother left.

Ron understood when Harry told him about the offer to join the Order. He knew they couldn't let Voldemort find out that they knew his secret. The last thing they needed was the Dark Lord hiding the remaining Horcruxes better, or even creating more.

The only other event of note was when Uncle Vernon wanted to go see Harry's vault. He had noticed Harry's new clothes, and thought Harry might have paid for them from his own money. Harry told him that the Order had bought him the clothes, and pointed out Ron's new clothes as supporting evidence. He also showed Vernon some Sickles and Knuts.

"What about those golden galley coins?" Dursley asked.

"I don't have any with me. Do you, Ron?" Ron shook his head. "But there's something that was pointed out to me. Do you know why under age wizards aren't allowed to do magic?"

"Don't you say that word in my house!"

"Very well, I'm sorry. But do you know why?"

"I don't care why."

"You should. It's because there is a," he paused, and decided not to use the word _magical_, "a secrecy act, to hide our kind from your kind. Until a child is old enough to understand that, they're not supposed to do you-know-what. That's the purpose of our government - to enforce that law, and fix the instances when it is broken. So, if you were to try to sell those coins to a collector, once the Ministry found out about it, they'd track you down and _fix_ the problem."

"What do you mean, 'fix?'"

"They'd use a memory charm to make it so you'd never do it again."

"Are you threatening me, boy?"

"No, Uncle Vernon, I'm warning you. The memory charms don't always work exactly like they're supposed to. The people who do it wouldn't care if you lost something important, like your memory of home, or how to do your job. It happens, and I don't want it to happen to you."

Harry wasn't sure if it was the tone of sincerity in his voice or the thought of getting his memory erased that made his uncle back off. Harry worried a little about the Sorting Hat wanting to put him in Slytherin after he had fooled his uncle like that.

The rest of the time at the Dursleys' was fairly quiet. Ron and Harry walked to restaurants a few times for lunch. They made sure they were in the house each night well before it got dark.

One day, when Harry introduced Ron to pizza, Tonks joined them. She was dressed as a Muggle in tight jeans and tight T-shirt, with electric blue hair. Ron's eyes tried to leave his head as he saw her.

"You better not take him to a swimming pool or beach. He'd have a heart attack," she advised Harry.

Harry was only a little surprised that the Order still guarded him. He found out that his guard duty was assigned as a relaxing job after a battle as there had been no reported activity around Harry since the incident with the Dementors two summers before. Amidst the small talk, Harry used the opportunity to fill in the Order on his immediate plans. He still wasn't saying anything about what he would do after the wedding.

The final Friday finally came. Harry and Ron packed. Harry made sure he had everything - he was never coming back. By ten in the morning they had their trunks packed and waiting by the front door. They had undone all the magic from the bedroom, leaving the cot, dresser, desk, and folding chair the way they found them. Harry walked around the back yard one more time, pulling a few weeds because he couldn't bear to let them grow. While he was doing this his aunt came out.

"Well, boy, now what happens?"

"We wait for our other friend to join us, and we go."

"I thought you said you had something for us?"

"I do. I'll give it to you when we leave. I do have a question, Aunt Petunia. Did my mother, your sister Lily, hate you as much as you hated her?"

She looked like she had been slapped. Ron looked at Harry with surprise. Harry didn't even look at his aunt, but instead kept looking at the garden for more weeds. Petunia retreated into the house.

"Wow, Harry, that was kind of harsh. Can't say she doesn't deserve it."

"Well, we should go back inside, and make sure neither she nor Dudley touch our stuff."

It was almost 11:30 when the doorbell rang. Ron answered it, and was captured in one of Hermione's patented hugs. Ron's had a deep kiss with it. Harry braced himself, and received his hug. His only included a kiss on his cheek. Hermione took both boys by an arm, and brought them outside. There, in the driveway, was a new sedan.

"That's what I've been doing for most of the last two weeks -- learning to drive and getting my drivers' license. The car is a gift from my parents."

They admired it for a few minutes, and went back into the Dursleys' house.

Harry talked with them for a few minutes, and Ron and Hermione carried the trunks out to the car and put them in the boot. Harry asked his aunt if she could get her husband home for lunch for his good bye gift. She called the drill company, and fifteen minutes later his aunt and uncle were in the living room. Dudley left the house, scared away by Hermione when he got too close to her car. Harry thought he heard her say something about hexing Dudley's walls off, but he wasn't very close, and as long as Dudley wasn't around to make trouble, Harry didn't care.

Once again, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were sitting on the couch, and Harry sat, tense, in the chair across the room from them. Ron and Hermione flanked him.

"Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon. Before I go, I want to say it didn't have to be like this. We could have been a family."

"Now see here!" Vernon began, but Harry pulled his wand out and pointed it at his uncle. Ron and Hermione did too.

"NO! You see here! We could have been a family, but instead you dressed me in cast offs that didn't fit, fed me the absolute minimum, let Dudley beat me up, punished me for things he did, locked me in the cupboard -- or in the room -- lied about my parents, and did everything except physically abuse me, and I don't doubt you would have done that if you could have got away with it!" Several times Vernon or Petunia had acted like they were going to say something, but the look on Harry's face -- and the aim of his wand -- quieted them. "You were well off, but didn't see fit to be generous with me. Now, I can tell you, that my parents left me well off, and I will be as generous to you."

"We gave you a home!" Vernon exclaimed.

"NO! You let me stay in your _house_. You never gave me a _home_. The word home has some connotation of caring. But in one way this was my home -- legally. In case you forgot what Professor Dumbledore said, as long as I considered this my home, the magical protection continued. If we had been a real family, I would have considered this home, and even my reaching adulthood in the Wizarding society wouldn't have changed that. But you made sure I was never welcome here.

"So here's my gift to you. A warning. In two weeks I reach my seventeenth birthday. At that time I'm an adult in my world, and the protection ends. I'm also number one on the hit list of a powerful wizard. This wizard was prevented from attacking this house because of the spells. The spells will be gone in two weeks. My warning to you is to not be in this house when that happens. I'm sure you," he pointed at his uncle, "would be killed instantly. Dudley and you," he pointed at his aunt, "would be captured and used as bait to lure and capture me. I have no incentive to try to rescue you, and you'd be tortured and killed eventually. I don't particularly want that, but this is war, and I have a lot of people I care about who I expect to be busy saving.

"So, again, my advice is to be gone from this house within two weeks. Goodbye."

Vernon tried to say something, but Harry just yelled, "Shut up!" and caused some sparks to shoot from the end of his wand, which did the trick. Harry took his invisibility cloak, wrapped it around himself, and disappeared. The Dursleys never saw him again.

Ron and Hermione moved to the door of the house carefully, keeping their wands trained on the Harry's relatives. They put away their wands as they left, and carefully got in the car, and drove away. Ron and Hermione were quiet, giving Harry time to calm down, or at least they hoped. Unable to see his face, they couldn't judge his emotions. Once they were out of Little Whinging, Harry reappeared, lying in the back seat, and sat up.

"That went well. Comfortable car, Hermione."

They talked about unimportant things for a while. But when the topic turned to serious matters, Harry found he still didn't want to talk about it. He explained it as these two weeks being his vacation, and come Monday he'd be back at work on the problem of Voldemort. Hermione said that she hadn't done much research during their time apart; she'd been too busy learning to drive, and spending time with her family. Then she brought up her visit with Luna.

"Harry, Luna has an idea for finding out how to defeat Voldemort."

"Does it involve snorkle-rats?" Ron asked with a laugh.

"No, it doesn't involve anything like that," Hermione answered in an annoyed tone. "It involves the fact that Harry's escaped Voldemort three or more times, and somewhere in those fights he may have been helped by this power. So, she's been trying to find out everything she can about those encounters looking for clues. I think it's a brilliant idea. It may not find anything, but it certainly can't hurt."

"Well, no one else has given me any practical way to fight Voldemort. Even Dumbledore didn't give me a way to fight the traps that will be around the Horcruxes, let alone the encounter with Voldemort."

Ron looked a little abashed. "Well, she does have a lot of strange ideas," he said, defending himself.

"She has a lot of strange beliefs. So far, her ideas have been pretty brilliant," Harry answered.

"She is in Ravenclaw," Hermione added. "The Sorting Hat must have seen something to put her there. I'm glad you like her idea, since she'll want to talk to you, Harry. And you too, Ron. And I expect you to be nice to her. She's our friend too."

"I know, I know. And I'll be nice."

They stopped for lunch (Ron insisting they get more pizza), and reached the Grangers' house in the early afternoon. Hermione lived in a beautiful two story, white house, in an affluent neighborhood. The lawn and flower bed around the house were meticulously maintained (Harry later learned that they hired a gardening crew to do that). There were a few children playing at a house a block away, but no one seemed to be around near the Granger's house.

It turned out that Hermione had her father's hair, even to the bushiness (although it didn't seem as bushy on him, as he had a lot less hair). Her mother, a slight woman just a little shorter than Hermione, had sandy blond hair, almost the color of Luna's. The Granger's welcomed them to their home. They were happy to meet their daughter's best friends. They had heard (edited) versions of some of their exploits, and the two quiet boys made good impressions. Harry was his naturally quiet self. Ron was nervously quiet, trying to make a good impression with his girlfriend's parents. Dinner, thus, was a rather quiet affair. Afterwards, they sat in the parlor drinking tea, and the light discussion turned serious.

"So, Harry, can you tell me why my daughter insists that we get out of the country, but she's not coming?" Mr. Granger asked.

The sudden change of topics caught Harry off guard. They had been talking about the various professors, which included a long list of Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. Harry glanced at Hermione, and she looked startled, too. He took a breath, and composed himself.

"I assume you know about Voldemort and the war?"

"Hermione's told us. From what she's said, you are in the thick of it, for some reason, and she feels compelled to help you."

"Dad, I'm helping Harry because it's right, and because he's my friend. No one compels me!"

"Sorry, darling, just a phrase. How about duty-bound?"

"How about raising me to act on my convictions? To do the right thing, no matter what anyone else does? To protect my family?"

"Uh, we didn't teach you that."

"Yes, you did, by your lives. You'd do anything for Mum and me. Mum, you'd do anything for Dad or me. Well, I can do this for you two, but you can't do it."

Her father sighed, and nodded. He looked at Harry again, and asked, "So how dangerous will this be?"

"I don't truly know. I was next to your daughter at the Ministry of Magic when that spell hit her. I don't think I could have lived with myself if it had killed her. I don't want to put _anyone _in danger. But your daughter, and Ron, and a few others insist that I can't do this alone, and are coming with me whether I want it or not." He smiled a little at that, but then turned serious again. "But I'll try my best to keep them as safe as possible. I've lost too many people I care about.

"And besides, if I listen to your daughter I'll stay out of unnecessary danger. She's the smartest witch I've met, and there have been too many times that I should have listened to her, but didn't. I'll try to do better."

The rest of the night was much less serious. The Grangers were impressed by Harry, and realized that what he had gone through had matured him beyond his years. Their pride in their daughter was reinforced by the stories of her brilliance and magical prowess that the boys related to them.

Ron, for his part, didn't get over his nervousness completely. He did relax a little during their discussion of "times I should have listened to Hermione." Harry was grateful that Ron could add so many stories that weren't about life-threatening events. They went to bed early.

Very early the next morning Severus Snape was drinking a cup of coffee when a very tired and shaky Draco Malfoy showed up at his door.

"I can't wait until tonight. I can't stand much more of those Dementors! But they're within striking distance of the blood traitors. Merlin! I can't imagine what it'll be like if they were coming after me!"

"It would not be pleasant. But it probably wouldn't last long. I assume Potter will be at the wedding. After everything the master had said about wanting to kill Potter himself, it seems strange that he's so unconcerned that he'll be eliminated by the Dementors."

"I just wish I could see it."

"Be careful what you wish for," Snape said quietly.

"What?"

"Nothing, just go to bed. You will be back at work on the Dementors at six tonight. They may be restless during those last few hours, waiting for dark."

Malfoy opened the way to the staircase, passing Pettigrew. He gave the older man a contemptuous look, and went up the stairs to bed.

* * *

Next up: A Loony Wedding 


	7. A Loony Wedding

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. **  
Author's Notes: **Thanks to Animagus for being my beta. The hoard of unnecessary comas that regularly attack my writing are missing because of him.

**Chapter 7: A Loony Wedding**

Harry surprised everyone by getting up early and making breakfast. It was nice making food for people who appreciated it and actually thanked him.

Hermione's father drove them in her car. Her parents were going to portkey back to their home and leave for their vacation the next day. Hermione thought that having non-magical means of travel would come in handy. And they thought it may be slightly safer, since the Ministry, at least, could detect magic being performed throughout the country -- after all, they detected underage magic. And if the Ministry could do it, the Death Eaters might, too. But Harry liked having the option to drive. The fact that the other types of wizard travel, except broomstick flying, bothered him might have had something to do with his attitude. And Hermione liked having her car. They arrived at Ottery St. Catchpole around ten in the morning.

The house was in chaos. Molly Weasley seemed to be everywhere, getting the tables moved and chairs set up, organizing the flower arrangements, setting up the ceremony area, and especially getting the food ready. Ron and Harry were put to work with the tables and chairs, until Ron was sent inside to get into his good robes for a final fitting. Ginny appeared briefly, and grabbed Harry in a big hug, which almost knocked him over as he wasn't expecting it. He quickly overcame his annoyance and returned the hug, feeling guilty that he shouldn't be doing that. But Ginny, too, was quickly sent away by Molly to work on something.

Harry saw Fleur, moving gracefully through all the confusion like there was nothing out of the ordinary. She gave Harry a friendly hello and kiss on his cheek. Even though she didn't seem rushed, she quickly broke off their conversation to get to whatever it was she was doing before she stopped. Fred and George greeted him, and helped with some of the furniture. They had their own set up to do, though. They were providing a fireworks show that evening, and wanted everything ready well ahead of time. They put up some powerful wards around the fireworks, which were on the other side of the pond. As far as Harry knew, the only person who got caught by the magical barrier was Ron. The shock knocked him off his feet, and it took Fred and George almost no time (except for the laughing) to turn him back to his normal color.

Around noon a light lunch was set out -- various meats, cheeses, and breads for making sandwiches. Harry met Fleur's mother. She was even more beautiful than Fleur. Harry noticed that Ron stopped eating when she came into the room, and just stared at her, sometimes with his mouth open. Harry thought it was funny; Hermione didn't. Ron was very apologetic, but the fact that it kept happening made Hermione mad.

"It's not his fault, you know," Harry told her.

"Why doesn't it affect you?" Hermione asked in reply.

Before Harry could answer, Ginny piped in with a snarl, "It does. He can't keep his eyes off her."

"Hey, I don't think I'm affected like Ron."

"I'll say one thing for that Veela magic -- it's the only thing I've seen that can interfere with Ron's eating."

The girls laughed, Ron turned red, and Harry just smiled. He was soon distracted.

"Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Harry Potter!"

Harry was tackled by a silver haired bundle of energy.

"Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Harry Potter!"

Harry managed to keep his balance, and lifted the little girl up.

"Gabrielle! It's good to see you!" Harry said with a big smile.

Fleur appeared a moment later and said, "Gabrielle! Do not keel 'Arry before thee wedding. We have too much too do weethout 'aving to bury 'Arry, too.

"'Ello 'Arry."

"Hello, Fleur. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Ginny snorted.

"No, thank you. I theenk we 'ave everything almost ready. " She took a small sandwich and moved off purposefully to do more preparations. Gabrielle clung to Harry as they walked around the grounds, and was talking a mile a minute about the preparations, her dress, the flowers, Beauxbatons, where -- even though the letters hadn't been sent yet -- she was expecting to go next fall.

"You may have a lot of new students if Hogwarts is closed next year."

"Why wouldn't it open?" Harry noticed that her English was much better than Fleur's.

"With the Dark Wizard trying to take over Britain, the parents may think it's too dangerous to have their children there. In which case, Beauxbatons is the closest big school."

"Harry! Can you help me for a few minutes?" Ginny called from the other side of the field where the chairs were set up in rows before the platform where the actual ceremony was to take place. The field was surrounded by a very old, low stone wall, with just a few openings. There may have been gates at the entrances, but were long gone. Harry wondered if sheep were once kept here.

"I'll see you later, Gabrielle. Duty calls."

"Dance with me, tonight, Harry."

"I will." He gave her one more smile and went to see what Ginny had for him.

"Hi, Ginny. What can I do?"

"Oh, nothing really. I was just saving you from Gabby-the-Pest."

Harry frowned. "Why do you call her that? She seems perfectly normal for a ten year old--enthusiastic, active, the attention span of a puppy."

"She just bugs me.

"Oh, did you know that Percy showed up? He's come back!"

"That's great!" They walked back to the house, and were soon parted as the preparations continued.

The twins encountered him while he was folding silverware into napkins.

"Percy's here," said Fred.

Harry looked at them. They weren't happy.

"What's wrong?"

"After he came, Dad talked to us," George began.

"Seems that he doesn't want us to do anything that will upset Percy," Fred continued.

"Which is a real disappointment to us..."

"As he was always the most fun of all our brothers..."

"To play tricks on..."

"His reactions were priceless..."

"Only Ron comes close..."

Harry interrupted, "Did you ever consider that part of the reason he didn't want to come back was because he didn't like being the target of your pranks?"

Fred and George looked at each other.

"Ridiculous."

"Absurd."

"Impossible."

"Maybe."

"Probably."

"It will be a trial, but we'll avoid pranking him."

"Thanks, guys. I'm looking forward to the fireworks."

"The fireworks will be our second show. Wait until you see what we have cooked up for arranging the dinner seating."

Harry had wondered about it. The chairs were set up in the field on the other side of the garden. The tables were lined up behind Mr. Weasley's shack where he worked on his hobbies, mainly batteries and plugs. He figured the ushers (Fred, George, and Ron) and a few others like himself would be moving the tables and chairs out soon after the actual ceremony. The wedding was at five, and the dinner was at six-thirty, so he expected a lot of quick carrying.

"What's going to happen?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

Soon after, Harry went to Ron's room and put on his new robes that Madam Malkin's had delivered. When Harry came back down, the early guests were arriving.

Remus arrived with a contingent of Order members. They seemed more intent on checking the area than socializing. Ginny appeared and took him by the arm, and tried to monopolize him, talking about Quiddich as she directed him away from people.

"Oh, no," she said.

"What's the problem?"

"Luna's here."

"She told me she had an invitation."

"Both her and her father. Some of the people Dad included in the guest list, along with a lot of ministry people. Luna's alright in small doses, but in a crowd? I hope she doesn't ruin the wedding."

Harry looked at her. "I thought you two were friends?"

"We are, but she has so many ... _loony _... theories, it's embarrassing sometimes."

Before Harry could answer, Molly called her daughter away. As she went to get ready, she asked, "Harry, can you do me a favor? Can you watch Luna and keep her out of trouble? Please?" She ran to her mother, who was visibly nervous.

Harry sighed. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy Luna's company, because he did. He'd had a nice time with her at the party last Christmas. But Ginny's reaction bothered him. He saw Luna talking to Percy and made his way over to them. He was dressed in formal robes and wore an expression of frustration. She had on the same dress that she wore at the Christmas party. She wore little silver earrings and a pearl necklace. She looked good.

"There is no conspiracy among the Aurors, with or without dentists!" Percy said, very loudly, causing some nearby people to look his way.

"Hello, Luna, you look very nice. Hello, Percy. I'm glad you made up with your family. Is this about the Rotfang Conspiracy?"

"Yes, you see..." Luna started talking, but Harry interrupted her.

"Luna, let me introduce you to some Aurors, and Hermione's parents, who are dentists, and I think you'll see that the theory might need to be revised. For example, I haven't seen Percy smile since he left Hogwarts, and he's not an Auror. Talk to you later, Percy." Harry took Luna's hand, and led her away. A moment later, Percy realized that he'd just been added to Luna's conspiracy.

"Hullo, Harry. Are you and Ginny back together?"

"No, not really. I think she wants to be, but until I'm done, I don't want the complications."

"But you're holding my hand."

Harry looked down, and seemed to notice that fact for the first time. "Uh ... as friends. Is that alright?"

Luna beamed a smile to rival the one she gave him when he asked her to the Christmas party. "That's wonderful. Thank you."

True to his word, he introduced Luna to the Grangers, where they insisted that many of the dire consequences that she believed resulted from gum disease do not happen. At least, because of the gum disease. Luna in turn introduced Harry to Professor Ransom, the Runes teacher at Hogwarts. The Professor complemented Luna on the Rune Puzzle in the Quibbler, which he always did first when he got his copy, and promised to give Ravenclaw some points should Hogwarts reopen in the fall. He also asked about some information that Luna had asked for and she thanked him for it. Harry asked about the possibility of Hogwarts closing, but Professor Ransom didn't know any more than he did, except that Headmistress McGonagall was in favor of having the school year as usual.

Harry re-introduced Luna to Remus. He had taught her second year Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She mentioned the curse on the Defense teaching job, and Remus dismissed the idea. His curse, he told her, predated the job, and that's what stopped him from teaching again.

"Actually," Harry chimed in, "the job was cursed. According to Professor Dumbledore, it's been cursed ever since Voldemort applied for the job and wasn't hired."

Both Remus and Luna looked at him in surprise. He explained what little he knew about it -- he didn't know the exact date, only after Dumbledore was headmaster. Luna smiled brightly. She knew Harry didn't agree with her beliefs, but unlike other people, he didn't make a big deal of it, and he never attacked her for holding them. But this time he was defending one of them. She looked around, but her father hadn't shown up yet.

Remus mused on the idea for a moment, then changed the subject.

"Do you have your wand, Harry?"

"Yes, of course."

"Keep it handy."

"Why, do you expect trouble?"

"Maybe. A known opponent of You-Know-Who and family and friends and probably Order members -- and you -- all in one place? I know I'd attack if I were him."

Harry nodded. His spirits fell.

"But don't get too depressed. Bill's been working all week on something new. You know that ward that kept people without the Dark Mark from passing through? Bill's reversed it. Those with the Mark can't get through. He's put a barrier all around the property."

"That's good news."

"But stay alert anyway. You just never know."

Harry introduced Luna to Tonks, to give her the auror's perspective on the Rotfang Conspiracy. Tonks suggested that the evidence of the effects of the conspiracy could be easily explained by incompetence, bureaucratic infighting, and many years of poor leadership from the Fudge administration. After almost a year under the new minister, she had some doubts about things changing. It seemed all the changes were superficial. Harry noticed that Tonks and Remus were getting along better now. Even Luna commented on that after they moved on.

They met Fleur's grandmother, Zelda Sapientiae, a full blooded Veela. Even though she was an old woman, she was still beautiful. Harry learned that Luna could speak French. The old woman and young witch talked for quite a while before Luna translated Mrs. Sapientiae's thanks to Harry for his rescue of Gabrielle during the Triwizard Tournament. Harry started denying that he deserved any thanks, but was interrupted by the Veela.

"She says that it's a mark of a hero to disbelieve that he did anything heroic."

Mrs. Sapientiae whispered something while Luna was translating.

Harry said, "I did not do anything heroic!" which for some reason made both women laugh. Actually, it caused Fleur's grandmother to chuckle, but Luna to almost fall down in hysterics. Harry had to hold her up while she regained control of herself.

When she did, she told Harry, "That's exactly what Zelda said you'd say!"

The Veela smiled, gave Harry a kiss on his cheek, did the same to Luna, and said something to her, before walking away with a smile. Luna looked uncomfortable, and stood up on her own. Harry suddenly became worried. Luna was _never_ embarrassed. He realized he had just been holding _her, _not just her hand.

"What did she say?"

"She said," and Luna paused to look around. That didn't help Harry's nervousness. Since when did Luna care what other's thought?

"She said that we make a good couple."

"Oh," Harry didn't know what to say to that, so he changed the subject. "What were you talking about near the beginning of your conversation?"

Luna seemed glad to talk about something else. "Part of the time, she was surprised that a human woman was being pleasant to her, and a human male wasn't acting, uh..." She seemed at a loss for words.

"Like they usually do around Veelas?"

"Yes. We talked about that. She thought it was part of the Veela magic, but I thought it was just jealousy. She also guesses that you have an immunity to Veela Magic."

"It seems that way. I certainly don't act like Ron around Fleur."

While he was talking, he noticed another guest heading his way. His first instinct was to get away -- lose himself in the crowd. But then he thought that this could be a conversation to remember.

"Luna, there's someone coming I want you to meet. Hello, Minister. May I present Luna Lovegood. She's in Ravenclaw. Luna, this is the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour."

"How do you do, Miss. Harry, I just wanted you to know that your Apparition test is scheduled for your birthday. The Weasley boy can re-take his at the same time. Just stop down at the ministry that day. That's really all I have to say..."

Luna, however, had something to say. "Excuse me, Minister, but why aren't the Heliopaths being used in the fight against the Death Eaters?"

"What? The Heliopaths? I'm afraid you're behind the times, Miss Lovegood. The last known action of the Heliopaths was near the end of World War II, when they were used to attack Hitler's bunker. There were twelve under the control of the Minister at the beginning of the War, and only seven by the end. It's said that three survived that last battle, but there's no record of them after that. They would be useful to have, but I think they're extinct now."

"But there are lots of sightings..."

"I know. I investigated some of them. The last credible witness was in the mid seventies. After that, there are still sightings, but they aren't accompanied by the telltale burn marks they make with their feet. As I said, they would be useful, but I'm not one who dwells on things we don't have.

"Harry, Miss Lovegood, I really have to get going. I have a wedding to perform."

"You're the minister? I mean..." Harry stumbled over his own words. Scrimgeour smiled.

"I know what you mean, and yes. I asked Arthur if he wouldn't mind. As long as I keep politics away, they let me do this."

He walked away as quick as his limping leg could carry him. He didn't have time for any more questions. There was an overall movement of people towards the area set up for the wedding. Harry and Luna started moving that way, too. As they reached the gate into the field, Ron came up to them. He looked uncomfortable in the dress robes.

"You look very handsome, Ronald."

"Uh, thanks Luna. You look pretty good too."

"Thank you."

George and Fred walked up. One asked, "Bride?"

The other added, "Or Groom."

Luna laughed, which always got someone on the twins' good side. George linked arms with Luna, and Fred offered to do the same with Harry, which got some more laughs. They were led down the isle to a row about 8 from the front. Hermione and her parents were already there, with a round-faced, dark haired wizard.

"Hello, Daddy. This is Harry Potter."

"Hello, Mr. Potter. I just want to thank you for that interview you let us have. It came at a good time for the paper."

"I'm glad I was able to do it. I hope a few people prepared, while Fudge was denying everything."

"Fudge!" The wizard put all the disgust he could into the word. "I can't say how happy I am that he's gone. Still not sure about Scrimgeour yet. He does come from the Aurors, and that is the hotbed of the Rotfangs."

"Daddy, I talked to the Grangers," she motioned to Hermione's parents, "and I think the conspiracy theory will need to be revised. They're dentists, and insist that there's never been a government that's fallen because of gum disease."

"I can virtually guarantee it," Hermione's father chimed in.

"Drat! That always got a good response from the mail. We'll have to think of something else."

"Hey, Harry! Hi, Hermione, Luna!" Neville Longbottom and his formidable looking Grandmother were being seated behind them.

"Hello, Mrs. Longbottom, Neville. You're looking good, Mrs. Longbottom," Harry said. She was looking good. The smile she gave the students ahead of her was genuine, and it lit up her face. She wasn't wearing her stuffed-vulture hat, but a more conservative white pointed one. As it was warm, she didn't have the fur, and while it didn't look new, her white dress was well cared for. The green gloves seemed older, but they were clean.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. And than you for all you've done for my grandson." They talked for a few minutes, and as he was turned around, he saw Hagrid and Madam Maxime arrived. Remus came over and enlarged two chairs for them. Harry noticed several red haired families being seated ahead of him, and several Veela women being seated on the other side of the central isle. He figured they had turned off their Veela magic, since they made just a minor ripple of excitement. Soon Harry noticed that very few people were left standing. Harry noticed some Goblins a few rows behind Neville..

Music started. Harry looked around, but couldn't see where it was coming from. One of the twins walked Fleur's grandmother down the isle, and sat her in the third seat in on the Bride's side. Ron walked his parents down the isle, followed by the other twin, Fred, Harry thought, and sat in the front row of the Groom's side. Percy was already sitting there, and Molly gave him a hug. Then George walked another Veela (or, more likely, half Veela -- Fleurs' mother) to the second seat on the Bride's side. He walked to the back, and the music increased and Harry recognized the traditional Wedding March, even though he'd never been at a wedding before. He looked around for the music's source, but again failed to find it.

"Magic," whispered Luna. Harry looked at her, and noticed she had a strange expression on her face. It reminded him of how she looked when Fleur's grandmother called them a couple, but it wasn't exactly right.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. She just nodded. If she was going to say anything more, she was interrupted by everyone standing up and facing the back of the field.

George and Gabrielle were walking down the isle. She looked supremely happy in her gold gown, with her long, silken, silver hair flowing down her back. George smiled, and Harry was sure Gabrielle winked at him as they slowly walked, arm in arm, towards the front. They stepped up on the platform there, separated, and walked away from each other. An arched trellis covered in flowers was set in the middle of the platform, and Harry assumed that the wedding would take place under the flowers.

The crowd turned again. Charlie and Ginny were walking down the path. Harry thought he looked strange, since he'd never seen Charlie in anything approaching formal clothes. Ginny looked good, but Harry noticed something about her expression. He realized that she didn't want to be here. He knew that he hated being the center of attention, and figured Ginny was feeling the same way. There were people taking pictures, and Harry cursed himself for not thinking of it. As they moved towards the front, he noticed a photographer in front of the first row, snapping away with his camera. He also noticed that Minister Scrimgeour had taken a position in center stage. Harry thought that seemed strangely appropriate.

Charlie and Ginny took positions next to George and Gabrielle, respectively. Bill dressed in black robes with shiny gold trim, walked from the side, to wait at the front of the isle. His red hair was tied back in his signature ponytail, and he still wore the dragon tooth earring. His face was a mess of scars, and his smile looked more like a grimace. But his eyes somehow conveyed the happiness that his mouth seemed incapable of broadcasting.

The music got louder, and Harry turned with everyone to watch Fleur walk down the isle with her father, Charles. Her white robes had gold trim, and she wore an old but beautiful tiara. The blue flowers in her bouquet matched her eyes. She marched down the isle with a slight smile on her face, and her eyes on her husband-to-be. When she reached the end, she kissed her father, and took Bill's arm in hers. They stepped up on to the platform and faced the Minister.

"Marriage is a noble estate, and these two young people have come of their own free will to be joined as husband and wife. Is there anyone who knows of a reason why this witch and this wizard should not be married? Let them speak now, or forever hold their peace."

On the platform all the members of the wedding party turned and looked at George. Meanwhile, in the front row, Arthur, Molly, Ron, and Percy were staring at Fred. Neither twin made a move and the ceremony continued. The vows were simple, and spoken by Bill and Fleur, his in English, and hers in French. They promised to love each other throughout their lives, in good times and bad, prosperity and poverty, heath and sickness, for as long as they both should live. As they put rings on each other's hand, they were surrounded by a dim, blue glow. For some reason, Harry was reminded of the phoenix song. The glow faded quickly, Bill and Fleur kissed, and the Minister introduced them as husband and wife to the guests.

They then walked down the isle, followed by Charlie and Ginny, and George and Gabrielle. When they reached the back, Fred and Ron started directing people from the rows, starting in the front. Soon, all the guests were in a receiving line around the edge of the field, near the stone wall. Ron was keeping them around the outside even after they greeted the new family. While most people were waiting their turn, Fred and George stood in the middle of the field.

Fred touched his wand to his throat, and with a Sonorus enhanced voice, announced, "Ladies, and gentlemen! Weasley's Wizarding Weazes is proud to present, the table rodeo!"

The music changed from _Jesu, Joy of Men's Desires, _to _The Theme from the Magnificent Seven._ Fred and George waved their wands, and the chairs started running around. At first there didn't seem to be a pattern to the movement, but soon all the chairs were galloping in a circle within the line formed by the guests. George moved some people away from the stone wall that bordered the field near his father's shed. A group of chairs left the circle, galloped toward the wall, and leaped over it. They reappeared in a moment, chasing a table. The table appeared to be trying to escape the chairs, but the circle of chairs still running kept it corralled. The chairs chasing it soon had it surrounded, and it appeared to collapse in exhaustion. The chairs surrounded it, and the table rose to its legs in a weary manner. The chairs then positioned themselves around the table.

The whole thing was repeated multiple times, as the guests waited their turn to greet Bill and Fleur. After the first few tables were in place, George helped those guests who had already congratulated Bill and Fleur to pass the running chairs and take seats around the tables. Soon two dozen tables were in the field, and the chairs and tables were no longer moving on their own.

But George and Fred weren't finished. From the direction of the house, balloons started floating towards the field, lots of balloons. The first ones were grouped in sets of four, and were carrying tablecloths, which were deposited on the tables. The balloons went back for more, and started carrying plates, silverware, cups -- the strings hanging below acting like tentacles, wrapping around the object being carried. Once done, a set of balloons hovered over each table.

Harry and the group of people sitting with him made their way to the front of the line while the tables were being set. They were introduced to Charles, Fleur's father, and greeted her mother and grandmother, as well as Gabrielle, who gave Harry a big smile and a kiss. Ginny also gave Harry a kiss, but wasn't smiling.

Harry asked Ginny what was wrong, and she just nodded at Gabrielle, and rolled her eyes. Harry wasn't sure what to make of that.

Luna had something nice to say to each of the members of the families, and (a little to Harry's surprise) didn't say anything outrageous. She said something to Gabrielle in French while looking at Harry, and the two of them looked at him and laughed. Harry and Luna both gave Fleur a hug and kiss, and Harry gave Bill a handshake while Luna kissed him, and complemented them both on their taste in partners. Luna said something else to Fleur in French, which got her another big hug from the bride.

As they made their way through the galloping chairs, with a little help from George, Harry asked, "Alright, what was that last bit?"

"Well, it's not very polite. But it's a Veela wedding wish. Loosely translated, it hopes that parts of the anatomy of anyone who would damage their marriage would fall off. It's really not very nice, but it's traditional."

"And where did you learn of that tradition?"

"I did some research on Veela's this past week to be prepared."

"You are amazing!"

"Thank you, Harry."

Ginny stood between Bill and Charlie. She had had enough of both Phlegm and Gabby-the Pest over the last week. And their mother. And their grandmother, who didn't even speak English. Good thing she didn't arrive until that day.

Her resolve right after the Battle of Hogwarts to get along with Fleur had crumbled under the pressure of her presence. Even though her love for Bill was evident, what kind of declaration of that love was, "I'm beautiful enough for both of us?" A conceited one.

And she had tried. She really did. But it was no good. She was nicer, but Phlegm didn't change. The first morning back, she had made breakfast for everyone, and right after she served Phlegm, her future sister-in-law abandoned her meal, and helped Bill, just back from Grimmauld Place, to his bed. She stayed with Bill, who was so exhausted he could barely walk, all morning, and her breakfast was eventually thrown away. And there was never a _thank you_.

Why couldn't Bill have decided to marry someone else? Why did he have to marry one of ... Yes, she'll admit it -- she didn't like Veelas.

And now Harry! He's laughing with them, getting a kiss from both Phlegm and her grandmother. Gabrielle hugged him, and he lifted her up while hugging her back! He didn't do that to _her!_ And Luna making jokes with them in French? It was all wrong.

Harry was _hers!_ She would fight anyone for him. Sure he has to be all noble and go off and save the world, but she was a Gryffindor, and she was as brave as him, and she was going to help him save the world, and they would live happily ever after -- her and her hero!

She barely acknowledged anyone else in the line. Well, maybe Hagrid. You can't ignore Hargrid. He's just too _big_ to ignore. But even he wasn't that interested in her. He was with Madam Maxime. And while he didn't know Fleur personally, he stood beside the other Half-Giant while the headmistress spoke at length to Fleur in French. Ginny was sure that Hagrid didn't speak French, but he just stood there acting like he was listening.

The goblins were a bit disturbing, too. But luckily, they mostly ignored her. How could Bill work with them?

Finally the people ran out, and the wedding party went to the table set beneath the trellis of flowers at the front of the field. After the balloons set the tables, Molly Weasley, her sister Nancy, and sister-in-law Monica left the receiving line, and started levitating dishes of food to the tables, and the feast began. Ginny looked around and saw Harry, Luna, Hermione and her parents, Professor Ransom, Neville and his grandmother at a table. She looked around her table -- Phlegm, Bill, Charlie, Gabby-the-Pest, the twins, and Ron. She sighed, wishing she was at Harry's table.

Dinner was wonderful -- roast chicken, cooked with interesting herbs, potatoes and gravy, several kinds of vegetables (which Hermione encouraged the teenagers to eat). There was butterbeer and pumpkin juice to drink, as well as wine for the adults and older teens. Molly and the other women who were serving kept wandering around making sure everyone got enough to eat.

At Harry's table the conversation never got very serious. Luna talked about the unsuccessful search for Snorkacks the previous summer, but they did find something whose name Harry couldn't pronounce, which was described as a single horned rabbit. It was the first sighting of the rare creature in Scandinavia. Hermione rolled her eyes, but held her tongue. Her parents, not as informed as Hermione about the general feeling concerning the creatures Luna talked about, asked a lot of questions. Harry had come to the conclusion that the existence or non-existence of any magical creatures had no impact on his life, so why bother arguing about it? Professor Ransom asked about magical inscriptions and runes she encountered while on her trip. He, too, took the blond girl's flights of fancy in stride. Mrs. Longbottom spoke quietly to Hermione's mother, and Neville was mainly silent. The conversation stopped when Charlie got up to give a toast to the newly-weds. Gabrielle also got up and gave a toast in French. Luna, Professor Ransom, and the rest of the French speakers broke out in laughter a few times during the speech. Even Mrs. Longbottom chuckled.

After the toast, Mrs. Longbottom told Neville that he should follow Bill's example and find someone to marry.

"Follow his example and marry a Veela?" he asked. Then he realized that what he did might be considered talking back to his grandmother, and he paled slightly.

It may have been the Champagne or the general atmosphere, but she did something that Neville never expected. She laughed.

"If you could get one to ask you, go ahead. But remember, you are the heir to an old pure-blood family." Harry looked at her, suddenly suspicious.

Hermione asked, with a somewhat challenging tone, "What does that mean?"

"It means that whoever he marries, the wedding should probably be large, but most definitely should be grand! You find a nice girl to marry, no matter who her parents are." The atmosphere at the table lightened considerably. Mrs. Longbottom then started telling stories about weddings that she had attended over her long life, and how something always went wrong. So far, she hadn't noticed the disaster at this one. But no matter what happened, it was the quality of the people that made the marriage. Then she complemented the quality of the teenagers at the table with her.

Dinner ended, and the cake was cut and shared. George, Fred, Ginny, and Charlie helped their mother and two aunts clear the dirty dishes, levitating them into the house. The balloons floated away, to come back baring lanterns, even though it was still too light to need them. At George and Fred's directions, the people vacated their places, and moved to the edges of the field. The tables were shrunk since they only had to hold snacks and drinks, and they walked close to the stone walls. The chairs followed, at a sedate pace. The guests re-arranged themselves around the tables. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione sat around one, while nearby Luna, Neville, Gabby, along with a red-headed ten year old, Greg Weasley, one of Ron's cousins sat around another table. As a six piece band tuned up, Fred and George created a wooden dance floor over most of the field. Harry was impressed. The light was fading as Bill and Fleur had the first dance. Suddenly, the couple was surrounded by tiny flying lights. Several dozen fairies were fluttering around the dance floor. Fred and George walked to the table next to Harry's and thanked Luna, patted her on the back, and walked away.

As they passed Harry's table, Hermione asked, "What was that all about?"

"We asked Professor Flitwick..."

"Where he got the fairies for the Yule Ball..."

"And he told us that a student who can speak Fairy invited them..."

"So we asked the same student."

Hermione looked shocked. "You mean Luna?"

The twins nodded, and moved on.

"Did you know she speaks Fairy?" she asked the rest of the table, quietly.

Ginny shook her head, and Ron said, "Well, she is in Ravenclaw."

"I don't think they teach that at Hogwarts, even to Ravenclaws."

Harry just shrugged. For some reason, he was reminded of her question, "How do you _use_ love?" and thought that if anyone could figure that one out, it would be Luna.

The music changed, and other couples got up and danced. Hermione's parents were among the first up, and Gabrielle raced over and grabbed Harry's hand. He tried to tell her that he didn't dance, but she insisted he keep his word given earlier, and wouldn't take no for an answer. He noticed Ginny's look of anger as he let Gabrielle drag him to the dance floor. He tried to follow her and did manage not to step on her toes. She had practiced with her sister all the last week so as to dance at the wedding. Harry noticed Ron and Hermione dancing. Then the floor began to shake. That stopped not only them, but most of the other couples around them. The source of the problem was quickly found -- Hagrid and Olympe were dancing, too. Fred and George followed the couple around for a few minutes, reinforcing the dance floor, and soon everyone was dancing again.

When the music stopped, Ginny was next to him, and insisted that he dance with her. She wasn't as good a dancer as Gabrielle, and expected Harry to lead, which meant the dance was much less enjoyable for both of them.

The music changed again, and they walked back to their seats. Luna was still sitting at her table with Greg. Harry kept apologizing to Ginny, but it didn't seem to penetrate her bad mood, and he was left feeling guilty. As they got to the table, Fred and Angelina walked up, each carrying a tray. They helped themselves to some Butterbeers from Fred's tray, and Harry got a couple of extra for Luna and Greg. Angelina had Champagne, which she said she wasn't allowed to give to anyone underage, and the powers that be wouldn't trust Fred with enforcing the rule. Fred declared that most rules were suggestions, confirming whoever hadn't trusted him. Harry guessed Molly.

He looked around at the party, smiling. Everyone (except Ginny) seemed to be having a good time. The music had temporarily paused, and Ron and Ginny, and Gabby and Neville (smiling like he hadn't a care in the world) were making their way back to the tables.

Then Harry shivered as a cold breeze blew his perpetually unruly hair.

Author's notes: Next time - The Disaster


	8. The Disaster

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. **  
Author's **Notes: My thanks to Animagus and Tommy H. for preventing some terrible mistakes. Are you sure the Charmes Professor doesn't have an "n" in his name?

**Chapter 8: The Disaster**

Harry suddenly felt uneasy. He looked around the party and saw a number of other people also seemed to feel it. Someone grabbed his arm, and he looked down at the frightened face of Gabrielle.

"Harry, I am scared. There is something bad coming." The eleven year old shivered. The air was getting colder.

"Stay close. If we're attacked, hide under a table." She nodded, but didn't let go. Harry gave her his left hand and drew his wand. More people were feeling it. He saw other wands out. Suddenly there was a scream from the platform where the band was set up. Looking that way, he saw in horror that Dementors were coming over the small stone wall around the field. He looked elsewhere -- more were coming around the pond, and, though it was hard to see, he was pretty sure that there were some between the field and the house.

A shout rang out, "Dementors!" followed by screams.

Hermione looked around desperately and yelled, "Mum! Dad!"

Professor Flitwick's voice, magnified by a Sonorus charm, boomed (and squeaked) out, "Everybody, away from the walls. Patronus charms! Everyone who can cast them -- Patronus!"

Harry gestured towards Luna and Ginny. They all moved towards the center of the dance floor. Ron and Hermione had already gone off in search of her parents. Being Muggles, they wouldn't be able to see the Dementors.

Luna looked distraught. Others also had expressions of fear on their faces, but for some reason it was worse seeing it on the normally calm girl. She raised her wand, while they backed towards the center of the dance floor.

"Expectro Patronus," she said in a quavering voice. A silver mist flowed out of her wand and drifted towards the wall. There were other shouts of the spell invocation, and Harry saw more mist. He too cast the spell, and added a small cloud of mist.

Ginny, tears running down her face, spoke the words again, and again, but nothing happened. She collapsed at Harry's feet.

This was just like the night they almost kissed him and Sirius. There were too many of them. They kept coming. The floating lamps overhead seemed to lose their power to shine. The party was falling into darkness. Someone yelled, and ran towards the exit, only to run right into a Dementor. Harry's sight seemed to go at that point.

He heard the screaming in his head, the sound of his mother dieing, and knew that he had to get his Patronus cast. He tried thinking of Ginny -- their first kiss. But all that came to mind was the jealousy he felt when she kissed Dean, what he used to call his beast. He tried to think of her kindness, but remembered her snapping at her mother the first day he was at the Burrow last summer. And the names she used for Gabrielle and Fleur. He tried to think of her smile, but all he could see was her scowl as she walked down the isle at the wedding. And the screaming in his head got louder, as he listened once again to Voldemort's laugh. He thought he noticed fire flying through the air, but it was too late. He knew this was the end.

But then another sound came to him. Luna's voice, small and plaintive, whimpered, "Mommy! Why are you turning black?"

It was like a dash of cold water. He could see. There was only one or two fully corporal Patronuses trying to drive back the Dementors. Some of Fleur's Veela relatives were hurling fireballs at them, too. He didn't see any hit, but they held some at bay. He looked around. He was on the ground, with Gabrielle and Ginny clutching him, and Luna lying next to them, alone. She shouldn't be alone. She was such a fun person when you got to know her. And that smile...

"EXPECTRO PATRONUS!" Prongs suddenly appeared and charged the nearest Dementors. He reached down and lifted Ginny up.

"Ginny, you caught the Snitch! You won the game for Gryffindor, remember? Remember how happy you were?" She seemed to revive a little.

He lifted Luna up, and said, "Remember the Christmas party! Remember when I asked you to come with me?" She nodded, and gave him a small smile. She lifted her wand and cast the Patronus. A small stream of white smoke appeared, but soon dissipated.

"You can do it, Luna!" Harry encouraged, looking around. Several corporal Patronuses were running through the crowd of Dementors. They were too few. They couldn't protect the crowd. He saw the Veela fireballs flying towards the dark creatures. It heartened him, a little, and it gave him an idea. He looked around and saw Fred not too far away. Moving quickly over the people -- more than half were on the ground, probably re-living their worst horror -- he reached Fred. He was frantically trying to cast a Patronus, but was no longer even producing the white mist. Tears were streaming down his face.

"Fred!" Harry grabbed him to get his attention. "Can you set off the fireworks? Maybe it can help some people, and we can get a few more Patronuses out there."

Fred looked at him blankly for a moment, and the words started to penetrate. He nodded, and shook himself. Straightening up, he yelled, "Weasley's Wizarding Weazes proudly presents -- Celebration!" The disembodied music started and was followed moments later by a rocket leaving a stream of red sparkles behind that exploded into a multi-colored sphere of smoke and fire. The Dementors may have paused for a moment, but only a moment.

Harry ran back to the edge of the crowd and concentrated on his Patronus again. It had been on auto pilot for the last few moments, but now he directed it towards Dementors who got too close to the crowd. It could keep them away from his part of the crowd, but it wasn't enough. If something didn't change, they'd soon be overwhelmed.

Hermione's parents had been dancing when the Dementors appeared, and were soon surrounded by people as they fled the monsters. Hermione and Ron found them on the ground, arms around each other, shivering in cold and fear. Hermione cleared her mind, and tried to think happy thoughts. She latched on to the excitement of her first Diagon Alley trip, and cast her Patronus. Her otter appeared, bouncing out of the crowd, and holding off the Dementors. She, like Harry, realized that there weren't enough Patronuses to keep back all the Dementors. She heard a scream, and saw a Dementor lifting someone. Hermione didn't recognize the man, but she knew so few of Bill's friends. Just then, the music started, and the first firework exploded overhead. She looked around and saw George, holding Alicia Spinnet behind him as he controlled his coyote Patronus. She made her way over to him.

"George! The tables and chairs, can they help?"

He thought for a moment, yelled, "Table rodeo!" and began the complicated process of controlling the chairs, and his Patronus.

Hermione looked around again. Ron was down. She ran to him, and found that he was just overwhelmed by the Dementors. Nothing she could say could get him up.

Bill and Fleur, like the Grangers, had been dancing when the attack came, but not with each other. When the band had been attacked, Bill left his partner and quickly found his wife, holding her protectively while he tried to get a Patronus off. His first attempt failed, and he muttered to himself, "Happy thoughts." Fleur looked at him, grabbed him around the neck, and kissed him hard. He broke the kiss, and created one of the largest Patronuses he had ever done. His eagle flew towards the Dementors who were kissing the band. It was too late for them, though.

Percy felt himself being overcome. He saw his just-married brother create a Patronus. Percy was a product of seven years of mostly poor instruction against the Dark Arts. Many of Bill's friends had the same problem. They couldn't cast a Patronus if their life depended on it. Which, unfortunately, it did.

Minister Scrimgeour also saw what the newlyweds did. He briefly wished his wife was here. With happy thoughts of her, he cast his own Patronus and started directing the owl to drive back Dementors. He had been an Auror for a long time, but this was the first time he had had to use his Patronus. He noticed, in a distracted way, that even though it was a bird, it didn't move very fast. He also knew, looking at the army of Dementors, that he was going to die.

Ginny gave up and collapsed in despair. Next to her, Neville kept trying to get his Patronus out. The white mist he was producing was uncrossable by the Dementors, but didn't have any staying power. Luna called his name, and he looked at her. She pointed her wand at him and cast a cheering charm. He felt better. He thought of the points he got in first year, and cast the Patronus spell again. This time the mist wasn't just smoke. It formed something. It moved on four legs, and was rather large, but it wasn't formed enough to tell what it was. Harry pointed to the left, and yelled that his Patronus was needed over there. Neville concentrated and the animal moved in the right direction. The Dementors were right up to the people over there. He saw several people being kissed. Then he screamed.

"No!" he yelled, and started running towards the Dementors. This part of the wedding party must not have had anyone who could cast a Patronus. Several Dementors were in the process of kissing people, including his grandmother. As he came up he cast the spell again, and a large volume of white mist appeared from his wand. Had he thought about it, he would have known his mostly corporal Patronus was disappearing at the same time -- you can only have one at a time. The mist wasn't enough. The Dementor dropped his grandmother. Neville screamed again and kept moving. He had no thought of what he should do, but just needed to help his grandmother, who he knew was beyond help. He reached her, and started bending over her, when he felt a freezing cold hand grab his left arm.

Draco waited beyond the pond, hearing some yells. He wasn't very close. He saw Crab and Goyle off to his left and right, at quite a distance. They were part of the team that had driven the Dementors like cattle to this place. The Dark Lord, and the Minister of Magic had some way to talk to them, but they didn't. It had taken days -- or rather nights, as they had moved them under cover of darkness. Around his neck a chain held the ugly black medallion that their Lord had given him. He didn't know how it worked, but felt disgust and nausea whenever he looked at it, or touched it. He couldn't even describe its shape, just that it seemed _wrong._ But it worked. The Dementors avoided all who wore them.

And now he waited. He was behind some bushes, well beyond the limits of the property. He could barely see the lights of the party. He knew he was supposed to stay well away, but from the sounds of it, the Dementors were already wrecking havoc. Suddenly, the fireworks started going off. That was wrong. He looked, and saw where the rockets were being launched. If there was someone doing it, he had to stop them. He ran towards the pond, tripping over gnome hills, and catching his robes on thistles. He put on more speed. Then he ran into something.

He noticed he was flat on his back, watching the fireworks explode overhead. They were pretty good. He had a vague memory of clapping during a fireworks display when he was very young. He couldn't do that now -- his arm hurt way too much. It was as if someone had put a hot brand to it. Oh yes, someone had -- his master. But that had stopped hurting after a few seconds. The pain afterwards was much less than the pain of the dark mark being put on. But currently, the sharp, burning pain continued. Well, maybe it was lessening, a little. As it did, he realized that other parts of him hurt. His back and head. His face hurt. He couldn't tell, but it was burnt and blistering. All he knew was that it hurt. His legs didn't hurt. They didn't feel anything. Why didn't they feel anything? The rest of him felt pain.

Hermione kept concentrating on her Patronus, moving it swiftly to where it was needed. She kept encouraging Ron to get up and try to cast his own, but he didn't seem to have the strength. The chairs were working -- the Dementors couldn't detect them well, and were slowed from getting past them. If a Dementor could get a hold of one, it made short work of it. Hermione tried to attack the Dementors who succeeded in grabbing chairs, but there were too many past them -- she just couldn't take the time away from protecting the people. She heard Neville's yell, and after driving away another Dementor turned in time to see him being lifted by one. He was too far away -- there was nothing she could do. She watched in horror as he was pulled towards his doom.

Hagrid and Olympe tried to swat away the Dementors. They weren't as affected, at least at first, and neither could cast the Patronus spell. Hagrid couldn't because he really wasn't a wizard. Madame Maxime couldn't because it wasn't taught in the rest of Europe -- they had driven off the Dementors centuries ago, and didn't keep them around as cheap labor. They slowly were worn down, and ended up sitting on the dance floor, back to back, swatting any Demetors that came close.

Luna stopped casting cheering charms on the people around her when Neville ran off. She knew she was too shaken by the image of her mother's death to cast a successful Patronus. The cheering charm, on the other hand, didn't require her to think of a happy thought. She still felt as if she would never be happy again. But that didn't mean she couldn't help the people around her. She followed Neville, but at a slower pace. Her dress really wasn't made for running. She thought it just a matter of time until she, and the rest of the guests were kissed. Funny, although she didn't dance, she regretted that she hadn't. She wished she had more time to think about it. But Neville was caught by the Dementor.

"Expectro Patronus," she said, and as expected, there wasn't even any white mist. She made a wand movement and cast a cheering charm on Neville -- it was the only thing she could do. Maybe her spell would ease his last moments. She was close enough now to see Neville react to the spell. It must have worked. She cast another. His wand came up, and he shoved it in the demon's face.

"EXPECTRO PATRONUS!" Neville yelled. Luna was sure that would be his last words. They were, for a little while. For as he cast his spell, the creature -- there was no other way to describe it -- blew up. As it exploded, Neville was flung away, and was knocked unconscious. Luna was struck by flying gore -- purple ichor, bits of decayed flesh, and pieces of wet rags. But she was struck by something else -- something intangible. She was filled with happiness. She looked around, and ran at the nearest Dementor. Shoving her wand right in its mouth, she cast the Patronus spell, and the results were the same, it exploded. She ran to another, yelling Harry's name, and killed another. She was so incredibly happy, that she didn't notice that she was being surrounded by Dementors.

Hermione watched in amazement as Neville destroyed the Dementor. When Luna did the same thing, she turned away, and tried it herself. Letting one Dementor close, she too stuck her wand in its face, and cast the spell. The Dementor was driven back a few steps, but came after her. George ran up, stuck his wand in the creature's mouth, and cast the spell. The secret was out.

Ron appeared at Hermione's side, filled with what would later be called "undigested happiness". They started working together, Hermione's otter driving Dementors towards Ron, and protecting him from being overwhelmed. He blew them up.

Luna took out another before she realized she was surrounded. She screamed as the cold, decayed hands grabbed her. She couldn't get her wand into position. The happiness was fast draining out of her.

Then she was free. A stag Patronus knocked several Dementors away, and raced at the others. Luna was free, and cast the spell into the mouth of another Dementor. She eliminated four of the crowd that had surrounded her before she felt confident enough to take stock of the situation.

All around the dance floor people had found Hermione's and Ron's method -- one person controlling a corporal Patronus to direct the Dementors, another killing them. She saw the demons fleeing, and the strange sight of Patronuses driving them towards people. Not every Dementor's death caused a wave of happiness, but it certainly caused joy among the fighters. Soon the Dementors were out of range of the Patronuses, and no more were killed. George stopped the chairs.

The music reached its climax; dozens of rockets exploded overhead -- the grand finale. Everyone who was still able to clapped and cheered.

The pain eventually subsided enough for Draco to think about moving. His right arm with the dark mark still hurt so much that he didn't want to move it. His left arm could move, but didn't seem to have anything to do. He could lift his head, and found that if he looked towards his feet he could now see the floating lights of the party. But they kept getting obscured. He wondered what was getting between him and the lights. Then he saw the Dementors. They were coming his way. Was the party done? Was everyone kissed? Good thing he had his medallion. He reached for it with his left hand. He couldn't find it. The Dementors were coming closer. He could feel them. His legs still didn't move. The Dementors were almost upon him. As he started screaming, he heard cheers from the party.

The fireworks ended. The music stopped. People started taking stock of who was still standing, and who was gone. Neville woke to people congratulating him on discovering how to kill the Dementors. He stared dumbly at them a moment, got up, and walked to his grandmother's body. Luna came over and put her hand on his shoulder, letting him know that he still had friends. Bill and Fleur had started arranging the bodies. They enlarged the tables, and laid the victims on them. Other people, seeing what they were doing, helped. Greg's body was placed on one of the tables.

Bill and Fleur knew all the guests, and despite the earlier exuberance over the destruction of the Dementors, they saw dozens of their friends and relatives laid out, not dead, but not living. The first big shock was when they discovered Fleur's father had been kissed. Bill liked the man, and wished that such a thing hadn't happened to his wife on their wedding day.

He was holding his crying wife next to the body of her father, when Charlie came over to him. He brought them further down the line of bodies, to where Arthur and Fred were lying on the tables. Ginny was crying in Harry's arms, Ron in Hermione's, and George and Molly held each other and sobbed. Percy, Angelina, and Alicia stood awkwardly nearby. Angelina was quietly crying. Luna and Neville showed up about the same time, and Luna took Angelina in her arms to comfort the former chaser. Angelina and Fred hadn't been serious, but they were good friends, and who knew what might have happened?

Aurors and Healers from St. Mungo's soon showed up. The guests were escorted outside the anti-apportation wards, or were portkeyed home. The Healers started taking the victims away, and the family went into the Burrow. Gabrielle, who hadn't gone more than three feet from Harry since the attack, stayed right by his side as he started walking towards the house. Harry looked around and saw Luna and Neville standing where they had been before, looking lost. He walked over to them, despite Ginny's protest.

"Hey guys. What's wrong? Besides just being attacked by hundreds of Dementors."

"My grandmother was kissed, Harry. I don't know what to do."

"Daddy's disappeared. He wasn't kissed, but he's not here, either. I don't know what happened to him. And I don't want to go home if he's not there."

"Then you both better come in. We'll expand some rooms or something. You don't have to be alone."

"Thank you, Harry. Do you think Mrs. Weasley will mind?" Neville asked.

"I doubt it. What do you think, Ginny? Would your mother mind?"

"What? Oh, no. She wouldn't mind. Come on in. Plenty of room for everyone. I just want to go to bed."

"Good suggestion. Come on, Neville, Luna. Let's get in and get settled."

Harry awkwardly turned around. It was awkward because Ginny was holding on to one arm, and Gabrielle held tight to the other.

Luna whispered to Neville, "If we didn't just survive a deadly battle with over fifty casualties, I'd tease him about his girlfriends."

Neville nodded, and said, "It would be a great opportunity. Too bad things are so bad right now."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Except for a few spell incantations increasing the bed room sizes, creating a couple of extra beds, and cleaning dead Dementor off of clothes, most of the house was quiet the rest of the night.

**Next time: **"Now I lay me Down to Sleep"

Just a note of warning - the number of chapters I'm working ahead has been dropping, and the (admittedly glacial) speed I've been updating may slow down even more. Sorry, gentle readers. If someone has a time turner they could lend me...?


	9. Now I Lay me Down to Sleep

**  
Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. **  
Author's Notes: **My thanks to Animagus for betaing this chapter. Dang those tailed period things are confusing. Commas! That's it!

**Chapter 9: Now I lay me Down to Sleep**

Harry helped people settle in for the night. Fleur's mother was in Percy's old room, and her grandmother was put in Charlie's room for the night. Bill and Fleur, upon the insistence of all their siblings, parents, and grandmother Zelda, had portkeyed to Egypt for their scheduled honeymoon. Charlie and George went to George's room. Percy left to go to his apartment. Hermione, Luna, Gabrielle, and Ginny were in Ginny's expanded room. Molly went to her own room.

Harry lent Hedwig to Neville and helped him write a letter to his uncle Algie informing him what happened. He also borrowed Pig to write a letter to Mr. Lovegood. After sending off the letters, the boys retired for the night.

Meanwhile, in the girls' room, sleep wasn't coming. Both Ginny and Gabrielle had lost their fathers and weren't in the mood for sleeping. Luna felt abandoned, although she didn't share her feelings with the others. Hermione was upset by the fight she had with her father before her parents left, escorted by a pair of Aurors. It was the same argument they had hashed out numerous times over the last two weeks -- why she wasn't going with them when it was so dangerous. Her mother, at least, understood that she couldn't change her daughter's mind, but her father just kept going over the same points. The Aurors had returned to the Burrow after her parents were safely in a hotel room. Hermione felt better that they weren't at home. And would feel better still tomorrow after their flight left.

Remembering their experience on the train, Luna encouraged the girls to tell stories about their fathers. It didn't seem to help, though. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe I can change the subject, she thought as Gabrielle finished a story about her father's unsuccessful attempt to teach her to swim.

"I loved my Papa," she sniffed.

"What is love?" Luna asked, grabbing something she was interested in as a new subject.

"What?" Gabrielle asked. Hermione seemed a little taken aback by the sudden change of subject.

"I just thought that maybe if we talked about something else, we could relax and fall asleep. It was the first thing that entered my mind. What is love?"

Ginny spoke with authority, "It's what you feel for that person you're going to marry."

"But Gabrielle loves her father, and you do too. So that can't be all of it," Luna pointed out.

"That's different," Ginny answered with a huff.

"Yes, it's different, but it's still love. So your definition, while true, is incomplete. If it's incomplete, what is the rest?"

Hermione spoke slowly, trying to think of all the possibilities, "Love is the feeling that we have for those people we really care about." From the tone of her voice, she didn't feel that this was a good definition, either.

"It's the question of the universe," Gabrielle said, but seemed a little hesitant about continuing.

Luna asked, "Can you really care about someone without the feeling? Have you ever been sick or tired, and still done something loving for your parents, even though you didn't feel loving. Did you still love your parents, even though you didn't _feel_ it?"

"I remember many years ago Fleur got me up early the morning after Mama's birthday to make her breakfast in bed. I didn't want to be awake, and I was very grumpy, but I helped. Later, I apologized and was glad I didn't sleep in. But I didn't feel very good when I did it."

"That's something like Satre said, if I recall correctly. You are what you do. If you want to be a loving person, you have to act loving." Hermione's face scrunched up as she tried to remember what exactly was said.

"And Professor Ransom said that love wasn't a feeling, but a decision," Luna added.

"Tonight?" Hermione asked.

"No, we've been owling since I met with Harry. He's been giving me meanings of words in many languages as we try to figure out what _love _is. But he says the feelings are nice, but not the essence of love."

Ginny looked annoyed. "You're taking all the romance out of it. If I love someone, don't I feel it?"

"But that's the point. If you don't feel it, does that mean you're not in love?"

"Of course. I really liked Dean at the beginning, but then his annoying habits just built up until I couldn't stand him. So it's obvious that I don't love him."

"Dean Thomas?" Luna asked. Ginny nodded. "He's really good at drawing. I've seen him sketching pictures around school. He seemed somewhat quiet, and maybe introspective, but maybe he was just concentrating. He must have some good qualities, or you wouldn't have gone out with him."

"Well, yes. We got along great at the beginning."

"If someone asked, would you have said you loved him?"

Ginny thought for a moment, and answered, angrily, "I don't know! I don't love him. I don't even like him anymore." The conversation paused for a moment.

Luna continued, "Ron and Hermione had some terrible fights this past year. I'm surprised they are even talking to each other now. As an observer, I would have said they didn't love each other, but they got past it."

Hermione nodded and said, "If I didn't care for Ron, what he said wouldn't have hurt so much. So, I think, even when we fought, we loved each other, some."

"But if it's not a feeling, why does everyone talk like it is? I loved my Papa, and I certainly feel it," Gabrielle said.

"We're not saying that the feelings aren't part of love. They are. It's just that when you're grumpy, or tired, or angry, and you don't have the _feeling_, you can still be in love with someone," Luna told her.

"The ancient Greeks had more words for "love" than English does. (Sorry, Gabrielle, we _are_ talking in English here)," Hermione said with a smile to the younger girl. "They had _agape _for -- oh, how to say -- intellectual love? Love with your mind. Later used for holy love. And _eros _for passionate love." Hermione wondered how much to say with Gabrielle there.

"Yes, Ginny's feelings toward Dean at the beginning of their relationship. The longing for your lover, the quickening heartbeat when they appear, the sadness when they leave." Hermione wondered where Luna was getting this. As far as she knew, the girl hadn't gone out with anyone. Except Harry to the Christmas party, she thought with a little wonder.

"How do you know! You've never been in love!" Ginny was still angry, but did voice Hermione's questions.  
"I've been loved, by my parents. And I've loved them back. And friendship is a form of love. Harry loves me, and I love him back..."

"NO HE DOESN'T!" Ginny protested.

Luna continued as if Ginny hadn't said anything, "In friendship. And Hermione and I love each other in friendship, and Neville too. And I had a crush on Ron in third year, into fourth. That was definitely _eros. _I think you have too small a definition of love, Ginny."

Hermione thought it significant what Luna hadn't said. But then Gabrielle spoke up.

"But Harry rescued me when he hadn't even met me. Can you love someone you do not know?"

Luna looked at Hermione. Hermione noticed that Ginny was reacting again to something said. She had an idea, but didn't want to bring it up in present company. She decided to answer Gabrielle.

"As I said, other languages have other words for love. English, at times, seems to lump too much into that one word. Greek has _philia _for a dispassionate virtuous love, but contains an idea of it being to one side's or the other's advantage. Although one book I read equated _philia_ with friendship-love."

"Isn't that a problem with these ancient languages -- they're in use for hundreds of years, and they don't have the decency to not change during that time," Luna joked.

"You're telling me," Gabrielle said. "We are one of four languages grown from the Latin seed."

"But Harry is a hero, Gabrielle," Hermione said.

"He _hates_ being called that!" Ginny exclaimed. "If you knew him, you'd know that!"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, he hates being called that, and when you can find a better word, tell me.

"We joke about his _saving people thing,_ but really, I think you hit it on the head. Harry has a type of love for everyone -- he wants to help everyone, even people he doesn't know. When I was injured by a really nasty spell that could have killed me, Harry rescued me. We're close friends, but he would have done the same for anyone."

"'Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous, it doesn't envy, and it is not snobbish. Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries, nor think evil. Love does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things,'" Luna recited.

Ginny looked at Luna strangely and asked, "You were quoting that. Where did you read it?"

"It's from a book called The Book," she answered.

"The Bible," Hermione corrected. "Which is Greek for book, true, but it's called by the Greek name. I didn't think many witches or wizards read it."

"They don't. Professor Ransom sent me that quote, saying it was the best definition of love he had ever read. It also describes Harry. Except the patient part. And the anger part. And some of the brooding. He seems to do that a lot. OK, so it only describes him a bit, and sometimes. But he's certainly not self-seeking. He is kind. And he hates wrong doing. So in that respect," she addressed Gabrielle, "Harry was saving you out of love. His whole _saving people _thing is his love for everyone -- his rejection of wrong doing. I don't think it's very much like a love that a parent has for a child, or a wife for a husband, but it's in some ways greater, and in some ways less than those."

Gabrielle yawned, and put her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. Her accent was heavy as she was falling asleep. "All this is very interesting, but I think you make it too complicated. Love is being cared for and caring back. Like Papa and Mama, and Papa and me. Good night."

"What do you mean, greater than _and _less than? How can something be both more and less than something else?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded and thought, good question, because she could _feel_ the answer, but couldn't put it in words.

"Bollywoggles are among the most annoying household pest in existence (that doesn't actually kill you). In that respect they're definitely less important than a pet. But if you're trying to make Quasilocus potion, they're more important than any other ingredient. Lots of things are less important when looked at one way, and more important when looked at another way."

Hermione sighed. "I'll bite, what's a Quasilocus potion?"

"It lets you walk through walls. It uses the Bollywoggles power to get into your house. Didn't you ever wonder how they keep getting in, no matter how hard you try to keep them out?"

Hermione smiled, and just shook her head. "OK, but lets get back to love. How can Harry's love be greater and less than a parents love?"

"That love of everyone is impersonal. Harry saved Gabrielle because his love hated injustice, not because of some quality or knowledge of Gabrielle. It is a very great love because it encompasses everyone he meets, but doesn't satisfy a person's need to _be_ loved. Spouses' or parents' love has a richer and deeper appreciation of the person loved. It can be directed better for the good of the person when you know the one for which you are acting out of love. Even after spending a short time with Gabrielle, I can appreciate her vitality and humor, and in friendship love her that much more because I know it. Harry knows them now, too. And his impersonal love for Gabrielle has begun to change into a love for the specific qualities of her. And in a way, his loneliness is lessened because he now loves in friendship, rather than in abstract."

"Oh, give me a break! Harry saved her because he's noble and kind, and other good attributes, not because he loves everyone. And he's stupid that way, too. If he had used his brain he would have remembered that it was all a test, and not bothered to rescue Gabrielle. If he had thought for a moment we wouldn't even be using her as an example."

Hermione interrupted, "He's not _stupid. _He acts before he thinks, sometimesbut in a crisis, he'll think his way out, like at the graveyard, or in the Department of Mysteries. But not stupid. But it shows just how ingrained his heroism is."

"Stop calling him that! He hates it!"

"Calm down, Ginny. He hates it because most people who say it either use it in an insulting way, like Snape and Malfoy, or they use it to sum him up, which is just as insulting because it objectifies him. None of us here will use that to sum him up. It's just a description of how he acts. Selfless, or not self-seeking, as the quote said."

"And if we didn't have Gabrielle to use as an example, we could use you. He rescued you when you said he hadn't spoken more than two sentences to you all year. His love for all people shining through again." While Hermione thought Luna's words were true, she didn't think it was a wise idea to say them like that.

"He rescued me because...because..."

"Because you needed rescuing. It's true, Ginny. When Harry rescued you he was doing it mostly for Ron, but he would have tried to rescue anyone," Hermione said. "Of course what he did when he was 12 probably doesn't enter into his feelings for you now," she added, hoping to placate the fiery redhead. All they needed was to push her over the edge and there'd be bat-bogies flying all over the place.

"'Feelings are neither good nor bad, they just are and they just come. But once they're here, they're our responsibility to hold or let go.' I don't know how many times my Mum said that to me. The feelings themselves will come, be they embarrassment, fear, anger, loneliness, or lust, and there's not a thing we can do about the feelings showing up. But once here, we can encourage them, or discourage them. And that's the choice we make that decides what kind of person we are." Luna had regained some of her "normal" dreaminess of demeanor.

Hermione looked at the blond. Part of her reacted to what was said. Responsibility for feelings? What was that? Another part of her noticed the change in Luna. Hermione got the impression that even though Luna's mind was on the conversation, some part of her was away. Is that why she seemed so "dreamy" a lot of the time? Because her memories or emotions weren't engaged in the here and now?

"My parents said you can't keep your feelings bottled up or you'll eventually explode. I must admit, I don't do a good job of letting them out. I think I exploded a few times this last year with Ron. I'm not proud of it. I guess in that respect, I've not been responsible for my feelings."

"It's not the feelings you're responsible for. It's the encouragement or discouragement of them. It's your choices you make after you get those feelings. When the other girls in Ravenclaw started teasing me after I got to Hogwarts, I was very angry, and thought of horrible things to do to them. But then I remembered my Mum's words, and I let the anger go, and didn't act on it, and didn't dwell on it, and it subsided, and went away. Now, when they tease me, I can almost ignore it without any anger at all. But it took me several years to get to that point. It's a lot of work to ignore anger. I think what you did, when you bottled it up, Hermione, is you would take it out, review the memories of what made you so angry, and so fueled the anger more. If you could have left it alone, not thought about it -- maybe even forgiven Ron -- then I don't think it would have "exploded" as you said."

Hermione sighed. "Luna, I don't know anyone else with the ability to let so much bad wash over them without it affecting them besides you. I don't know how you do it."

"Lots of practice. Lots of discipline. It wasn't easy at first, but eventually I got it. The one emotion that it doesn't seem to work with is loneliness."

No one seemed to have anything more to say after that, and Hermione soon fell asleep.

Ginny lay there thinking about the conversation. If Loony was right, then Harry's rescuing her wasn't important to their feelings. Even their feelings weren't that important. And that quote "love is not jealous" -- who ever fell in love and wasn't jealous? That was just stupid. And every friendship being love. She certainly didn't love...Wait; Luna hadn't included her when she was talking about Harry and Hermione being her friends. Well, she didn't love Luna, although she liked Hermione, she wasn't sure she wanted to be friends with Luna. Despite everything, she was still very weird. But just because she didn't think of Luna as a _friend, _didn't mean she couldn't be friendly with her. She sighed. Quasilocus potion! Really! She soon drifted off to sleep.

While the girls talked, activity was still going on outside. More and more Aurors were Apparating into the area. Once they had finished with the guests, interviewing them, escorting them home or to where it was possible to Apparate, they began the real job. It didn't take long searching the area to find some Dementors. Trying the process described by Hermione and others, they proved to themselves that the Dementors could be killed. When the minister, who had gone to his office to wait for the Auror's reports, found that the Dementors were still in the area, he ordered every Auror, and a good portion of the workers from other departments to Ottery-St. Catchpole to eliminate as many Dementors as possible.

There were a few magical fights at first. A few of the Death Eaters were trying to control the Dementors, but these were not Voldemort's best people, and they left when it was apparent that they were outnumbered. That left the area to the Ministry people, who killed over a hundred Dementors. They estimated that over seventy were killed at the party, but it was difficult to tell.

Janice MacAvoy, the Department of Mysteries' expert on Dementors knew that slightly more than two hundred of the demons had left Azkaban. Their breeding ability was mostly unknown, but best guesses didn't assume more than the original number. So that night they had killed between one to three quarters of the Dementors. But they knew how! This changed everything. The fears of huge populations of kissed Muggles probably wouldn't come to pass. They'd have to set up hunter squads -- people well practiced with the Patronus spell. If she had her way, there wouldn't be any returning to Azkaban.

The Burrow was quiet for an hour or so after the girls fell asleep. They were suddenly awakened by screams from the floor above. Luna, who had been a light sleeper since her mother died, was the first into her bathrobe and up the stairs. Charlie was coming out of the other bedroom on the third landing when Ginny appeared, and they both raced up the stairs together. There were others stirring in the house. When they reached Ron's bedroom, they were met by a strange sight.

Ron and Neville were standing beside the bed Harry had been sleeping in looking lost. Harry was clutching his forehead and screaming, his body jerking spasmodically. Somehow Luna had gotten Harry into a hug, but when his hands went back to his head it wrapped around her neck squeezing her throat against his shoulder, choking her. Since Harry was sitting up in bed, it looked like he was dragging her on to the bed by his arm around her neck. Ginny ran over to Harry and threw her arms around him.

"Harry! Harry! What's wrong?" she asked, trying to push Luna away from him.

Charlie moved to the tangled teenagers and physically extracted Luna from the choking embrace. She stood by, simultaneously coughing, and trying to take big gulps of air.

"Well, that didn't help," she gasped.

Hermione was holding a clutching Gabrielle and said, "It's Voldemort! Something is happening, and it's causing Harry a lot of pain."

Harry suddenly stopped screaming, and collapsed on the bed, curling into a fetal position. As he fell down, Ginny lost hold of him. When he curled up, she really didn't have anything she could hug, so she sat near him and looked on helpless. He croaked out an explanation.

"Voldemort ... Crucio-ing Crab ... Goyle ... Nott ... others ... for losing the Dementors. No one knows what happened. They're sure that everyone ... at party wasn't kissed. He also thinks ... Malfoy deserted. He didn't return with the others after the Aurors attacked."

"When he uses Crucio, you feel it?" Luna asked.

Harry nodded. "When he's really mad. And he's really mad now. He's been biding his time waiting for tonight's attack for a couple of weeks, and as far as he knows, it went wrong, and he's lost the Dementors. He doesn't know that some of them have been destroyed."

Molly summoned a washcloth and used the pitcher of water in the room to get it wet. She started wiping Harry's face. She noticed how hot his scar was, and started concentrating on that. Luna squatted on the other side of the bed, rubbing Harry's back.

Fleur's grandmother came in to the room. She glided over to Harry and moved Luna out of the way. She reached to his forehead, and put her hand on it. Her hair started blowing in a non-existent wind, and the men in the room realized she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Molly looked at her in annoyance and was about to say something when Harry moved. He uncurled, and visibly relaxed. Zelda looked at Molly and asked for help getting Harry settled again. Her hair stopped blowing, and the men wondered why they had been so attracted to the old woman, good looking as she was.

As she, Luna, and Molly got the sleeping Harry under the blankets, she spoke in French. Luna translated.

"It is a Veela power. They use it to put their babies to sleep. It usually only works on family, but by the joining of the families, she was able to do it."

"But Harry's not in our family," Ron pointed out.

"He's been an unofficial Weasley for years, hasn't he? Mrs. Weasley mothers him and treats him like a son. You and the twins consider him like a brother. Even Bill and Charlie do. And your father cared for him like another son. You made him part of the family. So somehow, Mrs. Sapientiae could use her magic on him. He's sleeping, so we better go."

She got up and started moving towards the door. Zelda gave her a smile and a "Merci." She smiled back and when she got to the door, she took Hermione and Gabrielle with her down to the third level. Zelda followed, then the rest of the household. Ron and Neville looked at each other, shrugged, and they too, went back to their beds. As he was lying there, Ron realized that George hadn't shown up.

AN: Next time - Now I lay me down to sleep.


	10. The Day After

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. **  
Author's Notes: **My thanks to Animagus, David B., and Tommy H. for betaing (is that even a verb?) this chapter. Getting the letters in the right order! What a concept!

**Chapter 10: The Day After**

Severus Snape walked through the old farmhouse that they were using as a base and entered the living room which currently was the throne room. With all the Aurors out hunting for them, they knew better than to stay more than a few days in any one place. There were some new recruits out all the time looking for more locations. One thing about not having a permanent location was there was no dungeon. After the way the master was last night, he was sure he'd have some dead bodies to pick up. But no, they had all survived. The ones who lost the Dementors would start the hunt later today while others had been assigned to hunt down Draco. He cast Mobilcorpus on the recipients of the master's anger and dropped most of them in the dining room. After telling the elf in the kitchen to get someone with healing skill to look after them, he took the last victim and left the house. A few hundred feet away from the house, outside of the Anti-Apparition ward, he Apportated both of them to his own place. Entering, he put the woman's body on the couch and then disappeared upstairs. After awhile he came back with several potions which he helped the unconscious woman to drink and then sat in an armchair to wait, finally dozing off.

He was woken by a knock on the door. He got up and answered it. Bellatrix Lestrange entered. She looked at her sister lying on the couch.

"I thought I'd find her here. You're taking a big risk," she said.

"I don't think so. She's been punished. The master knows she didn't have any idea that Draco was going to disappear. She should be healed up. She can then be used by the master again."

"But you. He'll become suspicious. You've done too much for her already."

"Yet I am still bound by the vow. I have to find some way to protect Draco from harm while he does the Master's bidding. I very much doubt that he was foolish enough to try to run from the Master. He never said anything like that to me. No, I believe that he's dead or captured. If the latter then I'll have to rescue him somehow. I greatly regret this vow. The wording wasn't specific enough. I'm bound forever to protect him."

Bella snorted. "Well, if he's captured, I'll try to help you. No guarantees. The Master may not want him rescued."

"True. We'll just have to see."

An owl knocked at the window. He got up and retrieved his copy of the Daily Prophet. He looked it over. No news of last night's activity. He didn't realize it then, but all regular subscribers were getting the same paper. In a short time, however, there would be a special edition. What the special edition wouldn't report was that it got its information from _The Quibbler._

- - -

It was still early when Harry woke and went down towards the Burrow's kitchen. The Veela induced sleep was exactly that -- just sleep. His dreams had been magically calmed by Zelda, but when morning came, he woke at his normal, early time. He found Luna in the living room. She had borrowed one of Ginny's Hogwarts robes and was sitting on the couch. She was taller than Ginny, and one of her legs stuck out from under it. Harry noticed it was bare. The thought flashed in his brain that she probably wasn't wearing much of anything under the robe, but then he drove it from his mind. She looked like she had been crying. She wiped her face and gave Harry a dreamy smile.

"Good morning, Harry."

"'Morning Luna. Are you alright?"

"Yes. I just didn't sleep well last night. I was worried about my father."

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry I woke you last night. My dorm mates got familiar with that problem in my fifth year."

They were interrupted by an owl at the window. Luna recognized one of _The Quibbler's _delivery owls. It was a special edition. She looked at it with what Harry thought would be shock. With Luna's normal expression that made her always look surprised, he wasn't totally sure. He looked over her shoulder and read.

_Tragedy and Triumph at Wedding_

_Last night at the wedding of Bill Weasley (former head boy at Hogwarts) and Fleur Delacour (the Beaubaxton's champion at the Triwizard Tournament three years ago), He Who Must Not Be Named attacked with the Dementors of Azkaban, who abandoned their posts over a year ago. Over twenty of the guests were kissed, including the fathers of both the bride and the groom. _

They read on about the attack, and the brave but hopeless battle. Luna's father poured it on thick, emphasizing the inevitable conclusion that should have followed. Then he gave the surprise ending. He described the method used to destroy the Dementors. He was the first to use the phrase "undigested happiness." He reported the death of the commonly held belief that the destruction of the Dementor would allow the soul to return to its body. Harry was quite impressed with the reporting. Nothing but the facts, and most names, including his, left out. Neville's name was left out, even though the description of how a Hogwart's student discovered the method of killing them was so accurate, that Harry had to assume that Mr. Lovegood was right in the area. He finished the article -- the only one in the special edition, and noticed that Luna had turned away, and her shoulders were shaking. He turned her around towards him and saw that she was crying.

"Luna?"

"He left me. He left me to go to work. He didn't even say anything." She broke down and cried, hugging Harry as he awkwardly held her.

Fleur's mother was the next person up. She found Harry holding the crying girl, and gently took her from him. Harry left Luna with the half-Veela and finally arrived at the kitchen. The first thing he did was make tea, and brought it out for Luna and Mrs. Delacour. They had been joined by Fleur's grandmother, and the three were talking in French. Luna looked better, but still not good. Harry got to work fixing breakfast.

Percy showed up at the fireplace. He was only staying for a few minutes to talk to his family. He skipped tea but did eat some eggs Harry cooked. After he ate, he brought his plate in from the dining room, and stood in the kitchen awkwardly.

"Harry," he began. Harry noticed that Percy didn't look at him.

"Yes, Percy? Do you want more?"

"No thank you. I just wanted to say I'm sorry." He took a deep breath and looked at Harry. "I'm sorry for the way the Ministry treated you. And I'm sorry for how I was part of it. And I'm sorry for believing it."

"It's alright, Percy. And thanks. It takes a Gryffindor to admit they were wrong." He held out his hand to Percy, who hesitated a moment, then shook it with enthusiasm.

Others started coming down to the dining room. Charlie and Neville were surprised when they found Harry in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Neville had been woken by an owl bringing a letter from his uncle Algie. His grandmother's will would be read that evening, and he had to be there. He looked lost, and muttered that he didn't even know what happened to his grandmother's body.

Hermione, Ginny, and Gabrielle were the next group down. Hermione had stopped at Ron's room to wake him up -- he'd have slept until noon otherwise. Ginny was surprised that it wasn't her mother making breakfast, and more surprised that Harry knew his way around a kitchen. Her brothers wouldn't go in there unless they were raiding the ice box or forced to help their mother.

Mrs. Delacour suggested that someone get Molly up, so Charlie and Ginny went to do that. A very short time later, the Weasley matron appeared, and frittered about, complaining about how awful it was that she had ignored her guests. She thanked Harry profusely for making breakfast, but tried to shoo him out of the kitchen so that she could do it. It took Charlie and Ginny together to get her to calm down and accept that no one felt abandoned, and no one was upset that she slept in. They got her to sit down and eat some breakfast, and she slowly relaxed. Mrs. Delacour sat next to her in the dining room, and they talked quietly for a while. Harry found them crying in each others arms when he stopped in to get the dishes. He left them alone.

Gabrielle was subdued this morning, and sat quietly for the most part, holding her grandmother's hand. She gave Harry a small smile as he stopped in the living room.

Harry told Charlie, Ron, and Ginny that George hadn't eaten yet, and they went off to check on their brother. He spoke quietly to Hermione about Neville's letter, and suggested they drive him home. She agreed, as long as they could find where he lived.

The French guests collected their luggage after breakfast, and left soon after. Gabrielle gave Harry a big hug, and left teary-eyed. Mrs. Delacour thanked everyone for their hospitality and support, and hugged Molly, which caused the two to break down again. Zelda spoke to Luna, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She then gave Harry a kiss on each cheek. Harry noticed Luna looking very uncomfortable, again. He could guess what the old Veela had said to her.

Zelda turned to Harry and surprised him by speaking in heavily accented English. "Be careful. And do not be like Paladin."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Paladin," Hermione answered, in her lecture voice. "One of the companions of Roland, who gave their lives to save France."

Fleur's mother smiled and said, "I suppose you shouldn't be like him, too. But Zelda's talking about the hero of the Western show on the wireless, _Have Gun, Will Travel._ The hero, named Paladin, always rides away alone; he never keeps the girl he saved."

Everyone under 40 looked confused.

After the goodbyes, the French members of the extended family portkeyed home.

- - -

Draco woke up. He realized that he was strapped to a chair in a small, mostly empty room. As he became more awake, he remembered where he was -- somewhere in the Ministry, in an interrogation room. He had the feeling he had been here for several hours. He was sitting in his underwear, and there was no way to escape. He had no wand, no emergency portkey, and worst of all -- no working legs. Whatever ward that had thrown him back had landed him on a rock, and his back was broken. The bones were easily fixed, but the nerves connecting to his legs weren't healed. He guessed that from the Aurors point of view it was a fortunate event, and they were taking advantage of it as just an extra anti-escape device. He cursed them in his mind. His earlier, out loud curses hadn't gotten him anything except a slap across the face.

Then his interrogator came in, carrying the bottle of Veritaserum . He railed internally -- he was too worn down to do much of anything physically anymore. They kept going over the same questions with different wording -- trying to wring every bit of information out of him. He kept hoping for a rescue, but knew that was unlikely. He wasn't important enough to rescue. And even if he was, his answers, even under Veritaserum, would constitute a betrayal. He was doomed if they did rescue him. Maybe he could work out some sort of deal?

- - -

As lunch time approached, Molly kicked everyone out of the kitchen. She was going to make dinner and no one was going to get in her way. Harry, Hermione, and Ron had packed and loaded the car. They would leave after lunch with Luna and Neville, dropping Luna off at her house on the other side of town. Ginny was upset that she wasn't going.

Neville sat next to Ginny on the living room couch.

"How are you doing, Ginny?"

"Alright, I guess," she said. She took a deep breath, and let it out. "Actually, not alright. I'm mad as hell. I'm mad at Ron, Hermione, and especially Harry for leaving me. I'm mad at Vol...Vol...You-Know-Who for what he did to my family. I'm mad at Fleur and her whole family for being snobs and pests. I'm mad at Bill for marrying her. I'm mad at Mum for keeping me here. I'm mad at Dad for leaving. I'm mad at Luna for inane conversation last night. I'm mad at Ron for having a job guarding Harry. I'm mad at Harry because he doesn't want to get back together. I'm mad at Luna because she and Harry had a good time at the wedding. I'm mad at me for being so mad at everyone, and it's probably not their fault." She broke down and started sobbing. Neville awkwardly put his arms around her, and she cried on his shoulder for a while. Eventually the sobs stopped, and she composed herself.

"I'm sorry..." she began.

"Shhhh. Don't. You don't have to apologize for how you're feeling. I just hope you feel a little better now."

"I do. A little. Thank you." She surprised Neville by giving him a hug, which he returned after only a moments hesitation.

- - -

Harry, meanwhile, had sought out Charlie. Charlie was walking around the grounds, trying to check the wards. There were still Aurors around, keeping the house safe. The last few hours had seen them get busy, and now they were turning away reporters. Harry spent some time with Charley, learning about wards. He found that during his fourth summer, after Voldemort was resurrected, that the Weasleys had spent a lot of time warding their property. That was why Harry had to spend so much time at the Dursleys, the wards weren't ready. Even after they were done, Dumbledore didn't think they were strong enough, so the family essentially abandoned the Burrow and moved to Grimmauld Place. After learning what he could about wards and their detection, Harry got to the real question -- who was secret keeper of twelve Grimmauld Place?

"Professor McGonagall."

Charlie laughed at Harry's shocked expression.

"She is still the secretary of the Order, and not being a field operative, there's little chance she might be compromised. Also, very few people know she's the secret keeper, so we'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it to anyone."

"Uh -- sure. Nothing personal, but if her being the secret keeper is a secret, why do you know?"

Charlie chuckled. "Two reasons. I helped Bill after he cast the spell, so I had to be there and saw who was designated secret keeper. And, with Bill busy, and now away, I'm helping with getting people into Headquarters. I'm helping keep the Headmistress' involvement in this secret. I'll floo her in a little while and make sure you all know how to get in."

"Alright. Another question -- why are you telling me?"

"Besides it being your house, Minerva thought you shouldn't be kept in the dark. She still wants you to join, and she doesn't want too much secrecy to be a stumbling block for you."

Harry nodded, and left Charlie to get the permissions.

- - -

A short time later everyone was in the dining room for lunch, except George. He still hadn't come out of his room. They were quietly eating. Everyone was watching Molly, a little afraid of what might happen if something upset her. She seemed normal, though.

Suddenly, Luna grabbed her wand from behind her ear, aimed it towards the kitchen, and said, "Petrificus Totalus." She then replaced the wand behind her ear.

Everyone looked at her in shock.

"Charlie, I think your brother was going to do something unwise. If I was wrong, can you please apologize for me? I'd do it myself, but he looked like he would have taken on a dragon bare handed when he grabbed the floo power. I thought it best to hex first, and ask questions later."

As she was speaking, Molly and Charlie got up from their places, and raced into the kitchen. They found George leaning against the wall next to the fireplace, stiff as a board. Charlie put the floo powder out of reach, and ended the hex. Luna was right. He was ready to fight a dragon, and tried to push against his older brother. Charlie tried to restrain his brother without getting into an actual fight, but George wasn't as interested in keeping it non-violent. The others diners were moving into the small kitchen. Molly was trying to get George to calm down, Charlie was trying to just stay in George's way, Ron was asking George what he thought he was doing, Ginny joined her mother in telling George to calm down, and Harry looked on, unsure of what to do, but sure that everything else being done was just making George angrier.

Suddenly there was an explosion. Everyone stopped talking, and looked around. Luna was holding up her wand, smoke still drifting from the end.

"George, even if you could do what you're thinking of, it won't help. But you can't, so talk to Harry and help him help you get revenge." Then she walked back to the dining room.

People started looking at each other with puzzled expressions. George moved away from the fireplace, which Charlie allowed. He stormed into the dining room, and grabbed Luna by the shoulders.

"What do you know about it?" he shouted. She looked at him, as calm as she usually was.

"When my mother died, I was very upset, and destroyed several things that she had given me, including a doll she had made for me. Eventually I came back to myself, and I no longer had my doll, and I still didn't have my mother. No matter what you do, you can't bring him back."

"But it will make me feel a lot better!"

"No, it won't, because you can't do it. Only Harry can."

"What do you mean, only Harry can?" George had calmed down enough to sound almost normal.

"LUNA!" Hermione yelled at the same time.

Luna looked at Harry and addressed him. "You said that Voldemort knew this part. I thought you'd want George to know, before he tried to do something impossible and get himself killed."

Harry looked at her, baffled. George looked at Harry. Everyone else looked between the three. Harry gave a big sigh.

"She's right, George. If you were going after Voldemort, you wouldn't have a chance. According to the prophesy, I'm the one with the power to kill him."

The Weasleys who hadn't heard this before just stared at him. Harry got everyone to sit down. He explained how Dumbledore told him the prophesy, and how he had to kill Voldemort, but that he didn't know how, yet. He didn't tell them the exact wording, but only what he figured Voldemort already knew.

"No wonder Dumbledore had the Order watching you," Charlie said.

"And they should still be watching you!" Molly added.

Harry looked down and said, "Except I don't want them to. I don't trust them all."

"But you have to trust them, Harry dear. They wouldn't be in the Order if they weren't trustworthy."

Harry looked at her, and said, angrily, "Snape was in the Order. Pettigrew was in the Order! I don't know if there are other spies in the Order, but I don't want to find out!"

Molly looked shocked. Then she slumped a little, and nodded.

"You--" Harry indicated everyone in the room, "--and Bill, and Remus, and Tonks, and a few others I trust. But there are some things I have to do now, and I don't want anyone finding out. The fewer people who know, the better.

"And yes, Luna, you're right. I don't want George to do something dumb and get himself killed. George, I love you like a brother. And I loved Fred like one, too. We lost Fred, and we'll get our revenge, but it won't be by making empty, suicidal gestures. When we strike, I want us to walk away, and them to die. George, help me. Don't become someone I have to avenge, too."

George just nodded, and looked down. Tears started running down his cheeks. Molly went over to him and hugged him, and he cried.

Later, after those who had appetites had eaten, Harry explained something he wanted everyone to think about. "In the end, I'll have to face Voldemort. I want to face him somewhere of _my _choosing So, I'd like suggestions on how to get him there, how to handle any Death Eaters he brings along, where _there_ is, and any helpful thoughts on how to help _me_ survive." He ended with a smile.

"Oh, and Mrs. Weasley? Please, please don't tell anyone about what you learned today. I'll be contacting those members of the Order that I think I can trust, and telling them what they need to know."

Molly agreed with a nod. Harry did take George aside and talk to him for a few minutes, and when they broke apart, George had that look on his face that he used to have when he and Fred were preparing a prank.

Soon after, five teens said their goodbyes, and got in Hermione's car. Before they left Charlie showed everyone a piece of paper that had the address of Harry's house on it. He had fire talked with the Headmistress and gotten permission to give them the address of their headquarters. He didn't have to tell them to keep it secret -- they couldn't tell even if they wanted to.

Just before they left, George came up, and thanked Luna for stopping him from doing something stupid. She smiled and accepted the thanks, and they drove off.

As they started down the unpaved road that led to the Burrow, Neville asked, "Harry, what is this Order they were talking about?"

Unexpectedly, Luna answered. "It's Professor Dumbledore's para-military organization for fighting Dark Wizards and eventually taking over the world."

Harry noticed Hermione and Ron roll their eyes. "That's mostly right. It was organized by Dumbledore during Voldemort's first war, and has been resurrected for this one. Doesn't have any plans for world conquest as far as I know. I would guess that it will disband after Voldemort's gone this time, too."

The Lovegoods lived a few miles away. When they reached the house, they found it was a small cottage. Harry noticed it had that "wizarding" look -- the impression that the walls weren't quite square and the thing was probably being held together by magic. It wasn't as bad as the Weasleys' house, but there was that _look_ to it. The flower beds right by the house were overgrown. The garden looked good, though. The house had an empty feel to it. Hermione asked about that.

"It feels empty because it probably is. If Daddy were here, there would probably be smoke coming out of the chimney."

"Are you safe being here alone?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yes. We're well warded. We have to be, of course, what with Daddy being a newspaper man -- we get so many people who threaten him."

"But you have to watch out for Death Eaters. After your father's story in the _Quibbler_, they may come seeking more information."

"We have a safe room. Daddy had it built when I was about three. He said one of my first accidental magics was getting into it. It took my parents almost three days to find me. They never thought to look in there. They were sure I wandered off into the woods."

"Owl us if you need to. We'll contact you in a few days after I get settled," Harry told her.

"Where are you going to stay?"

"I'm not sure. Probably Grimmauld Place for a little while. I think we'll be doing a lot of traveling on this Horcrux treasure hunt."

Luna went into the house, and the Gryffindors headed out of Ottery St. Catchpole towards the highway. They drove for a while in silence. Neville broke the silence as they drove through less rural areas, and the scenery became less interesting.

"Harry, how are you going to find the Horcruxes?"

Harry explained how Dumbledore showed him scenes related to Tom Riddle's life. He was encouraged to describe the memories as well as he could remember, and the other three people in the car kept asking for more details, because (as Hermione said) if the location of the items are somewhere in those memories, the more people pondering them, the more likely they are to figure it out. They talked for hours, while they headed for Norfolk. They quit talking as they neared Longbottom Manor, and Neville had to give Hermione directions. Although they didn't know it, the manor house was much smaller than Malfoy Manor. The lands owned by Neville's family, though, were more extensive and actually cultivated.

As they parked the car, Hermione summed up their discussion. "Of course we're not sure, but if Professor Dumbledore was right, then we have to find Hufflepuf's cup, which may be still at the house where Mrs. Smith was killed. The locket is still missing, hopefully when we find R.A.B. we find it, and hopefully not very protected. If Nagini is a Horcrux, then it's easy to find -- it will be near Voldemort. And the final item, of Ravenclaw or Gryffindor -- we're at a loss. Places to search -- the orphanage, if it's still there; the Riddle house, if there are no death eaters there; and possibly the Chamber of secrets. Or we could be really, really wrong. This is like finding a needle in a haystack -- and we're not sure what the needle looks like, or where the haystack is."

"When you put it like that..." Ron began, but never finished.

After a moment Harry completed the thought, "...you make it sound hopeless. But we do have several locations we can start with. Let's check them out first, before we declare this whole thing hopeless."

"You're right, Harry. We'll get to research it tomorrow," Hermione said, putting on a brave face.

"Day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we go to Godric's Hollow."

They exited the car and followed Neville into his home. The door opened by itself as he came up to it.

"It only does that if the people are witches and wizards. Along with a Longbottom."

The entrance hall wasn't as large as the one at Hogwarts, but was just as grand. Neville led them through the house, keeping up a running commentary. One wing went back to the thirteenth century; this room was added during Victoria's reign; that wall was destroyed during the fifth Goblin war (Neville and Hermione were the only non-Ravenclaws to get Exceeds Expectation or better on their History OWLs). When they reached the formal dining room, they were met by a group of older witches and wizards.

Not older, Harry thought to himself. Old to ancient. They looked friendly enough, he thought.

One well dressed wizard got up and shook hands with Neville. Harry recognized him, but couldn't place him.

"I'm so sorry about Augusta, Neville. She was one of a kind."

"Thank you, Uncle Algie. May I introduce you to my friends? Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter, this is my great uncle, Algie Croaker."

"Very pleased to meet you. I had hoped to meet you at a job interview, Miss Granger. Mr. Weasley, I know your father from working with him at the Ministry. Mr. Potter, pleasure to meet you."

As Harry listened, he remembered where he had seen Croaker before. "I saw you at the Quidditch World Cup. Mr. Weasley pointed you out. I didn't know, then, that you were related to Neville."

"I doubt Mr. Weasley knew it. And I think Neville knows enough about my work to know not to mention it, or even my last name."

Hermione looked confused. "Where do you work, Mr. Croaker? And why would you see me at a job interview?"

He smiled. "I'm an Unspeakable, Miss Granger. I work at the Department of Mysteries."

She gave a little "Oh," and looked thoughtful. Mr. Croaker watched her intensely, and when Ron appeared about to speak, he held up his hand in a stopping gesture. Hermione's look seemed to go from thoughtful to resolved, and she focused on the old wizard, and took a breath. Before she could say anything, he cut her off.

"You do realize, Miss Granger, that not only are Unspeakables not allowed to talk about their jobs, we are magically unable to?"

That seemed to deflate her, and Harry, who had watched the whole thing laughed. "Legilimency?" he asked.

"No, just watching facial expressions. While the eyes themselves give away very little (unless you use magic), the face can be read quite well, unless the person has trained to not give away their emotions through it. I believe Muggles call it a "poker face", but what it has to do with fire place implements, I'm not sure."

"We're very sorry about Neville's grandmother. I'm sorry we weren't able to save her."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. It's a terrible way to die, but I'm sure she's quite proud of her grandson discovering the way to kill Dementors. Come on, Neville. Let's go get business taken care of." He gently took Neville by the shoulder, and started to steer him away. The trio heard him speaking as they walked away, "You've grown quite a lot since I've last seen you -- physically, magically, emotionally. I'm quite proud of you, Neville..."

They looked at each other, a little lost. One of the witches came over to them. She was one of a group that were wearing white robes.

"Hello, dears. I'm Rona O'Hare, a friend of Augusta's. You're friends of Neville? Good. I'm glad he has such good friends. He had a rather lonely childhood. Augusta was a good woman, but not very..." she paused, and thought. "She wasn't very nurturing. You sometimes get that in some pure blood families, where duty, honor, patience, and maturity are expected, even of children who are energetic, impatient, and immature -- because they are children. Have you had dinner yet? Then let me get you something. The rest of us have already eaten."

She walked through a swinging door, and returned in a few minutes followed by a butler. She had a tray with glasses, and he had a tray with three plates with sandwiches. Harry stood up quickly, and retrieved the tray from the old witch. They sat down at the big table and ate. The witches in white took up positions around them, and talked about various subjects -- Augusta's marriage to Josiah Longbottom, his death in the Grindelwald war, raising Frank, eventually raising Neville, and running the Manor. They took turns with the stories, and Harry realized this was what happened on the train -- they were lightening the sadness of her passing by remembering the good times. Harry interrupted them.

"You should be telling this to Neville. He's the one, besides you, who needs to hear this."

They looked at him, and Mrs. O'Hare nodded. "You are right, Mr. Potter. It is our job to help Neville get past his grief and guilt. How did you become so wise?" She smiled at that last statement. Harry became embarrassed, and his face reddened. The witches laughed, and took their leave.

One of them looked at Hermione, and said, "We'll talk to you later, Miss Granger," before they left. Several of them nodded, and some looked quizzically at the witch who had spoken. Hermione, too, had a puzzled expression on her face. The three friends sat there for awhile, before the butler came to offer them more pumpkin juice, or something harder if they preferred. They accepted the pumpkin juice. As he went off to get it, Hermione remarked, "At least they don't have house elves."

The juice must have been near the door, though, because even before she was finished talking, the butler was pouring their drinks. Hermione shut up, embarrassed.

"The Longbottoms haven't had house elves for a hundred and fifty years. Even before that, they had a tradition of hiring squibs, like my great-grandfather. I don't think I qualify for the term, since none of his descendants have shown any magical aptitude, but the position has become hereditary in my family. We are quite proud of our service with the Longbottoms."

Harry extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Harry Potter."

He looked surprised for a moment, and shook the offered hand. "Fritz Brenner. Very glad to make your acquaintance, Mr. Potter."

"Oh, I just realized. I'm not sure where Neville is, but he hasn't eaten anything since lunch."

"I have already brought supper to Master Longbottom. Thank you for your concern. Please excuse me." And he left.

They made small talk for a little while, and then Harry suddenly changed the subject.

"How do we know who to trust? We obviously need help with this whole thing, but where do we get it, and be sure we can trust them? My parents were betrayed by a friend. Dumbledore was betrayed by someone he trusted. Who do we trust to ask for help?"

Hermione looked thoughtful. "Unless you subject everyone you meet to Veritaserum I don't think there is a way. You have to start small, trusting them in little things, and if they prove they're trustworthy you can trust them with bigger things. It's a slow process, trusting someone with something important."

"The only problem is I don't know if we have time. I was just thinking that talking to an Unspeakable could be very useful. There's loads that we don't know about the you-know-whats. I just am very wary of talking to _anyone_ about it."

"Hey, mate. Look at it this way. If we get desperate, we can always contact him through Neville. But he's not our only source of information, you know. There were at least two Defense teachers we know that I think we can trust. Okay, so only one actually taught defense. And we happen to know one of the best curse breakers in the world."

Harry looked at Ron. "That's good thinking. Which leads to the question, who are you and what have you done with the real Ron."

Ron hit him in the arm. "You prat."

Hermione smiled. She was glad they weren't as nervous as she was about what they were planning to do. As Harry had said in the car, their quest could be hopeless. And even if it wasn't, the protections that Voldemort put up around the Horcruxes could kill them. Harry's description of the cave made her shudder. She suddenly got the impression that someone was watching her. She looked up and one of the witches in white was looking at her through the door to the hall. She gave Hermione a smile, and walked away.

Later, Neville rejoined them, with his uncle.

"Gran has been instructing me for years on how to run the Manor, but there's so much more to know. Do you know that there are 13 people on the payroll, including two wizard game wardens for the magical creatures that live around here? There are eight families that farm our land, and we have contracts with three companies who buy our food, including a magical one that's a minor supplier to Hogwarts. Uncle Algie was helping me get a feel for the budget. Do you know that I have a business manager? And Uncle Algie gets a salary for auditing him, and I'm supposed to audit Uncle Algie?"

Hermione noticed Ron appeared to be struggling with what he was hearing. "It sounds like being rich is a lot of work," he said.

Both Mr. Croaker and Neville laughed, and Harry and Hermione smiled.

"Ron, I may be rich, but if we didn't have a lot of income, this place would eat our family's savings in just a few years. I did authorize my first big purchase today. I'm going to set up a magical hot house, and grow potion ingredients. Not only will it provide an income, it's something I'm good at, and enjoy. There are advantages to money, too."

"Yeah, I knew _that,_" Ron said with a smile.

They talked for a little while longer, then headed to bed. Neville's possessions had been moved out of his room, and into the master bedroom. It had actually been empty, his Gran not having lived in that room since her husband had died. After he returned from Hogwarts, Neville's father had moved in. It had been unused for almost sixteen years. Harry could tell Neville was uncomfortable about sleeping there, but Neville didn't say anything. He wished them a good night, and went to his room.

Fritz led them to a different part of the house, and put them in two guest rooms. As Ron and Harry settled in their beds, Harry asked, "Ron, what about Neville's grandmother. She's not dead yet, is she?"

"No, not officially. According to old Wizarding laws she's been moved to St. Mungo's and will be subjected to counter curses and other spells to make sure that she was really kissed by Dementors. I guess in the past sometimes a stunned person would be passed off as kissed -- for the inheritance, you know. So they passed laws to make sure it doesn't happen. But after a few days, she'll be left to die. She can't feed herself, or anything, and they'll stop feeding her. It wouldn't matter, anyway. They only last a month or so, then the body just stops. Some families hold a service as soon as the healers say they've really been kissed. Some hold it after the body dies. I don't know which we'll do."

"Oh, Lord! I'm sorry, Ron! I forgot." Harry was horrified at himself. He had made sure he hadn't asked Neville, worried about how his friend was holding up. But here he was, doing it to Ron, who lost two family members.

"It's alright, Harry. I know you don't know our laws and customs. I sometimes think Hogwarts should have a Wizards Studies class, as well as Muggles Studies."

"Yeah. I could have used that.

"How you holding up?"

"Aright, I guess. It just doesn't seem real, half the time."

"I know. It was like that after fourth year and Cedric -- I still couldn't see the Thestrals when we left. It had to sink in over the summer. Then the nightmares started, though. I hope you don't go through that."

"You and me, both. Good night, Harry."

- - -

Though they didn't know it, the last two days had been too much for Neville, and when he was alone in his new bedroom, he broke down and cried. He hadn't cried since he was small, because, as the old witch had mentioned, his grandmother wasn't a very nurturing woman. After a while, he stopped, got up, and cleaned himself up. He put on a robe, and went down the hall to the room his Uncle Algie always used. He knocked on the door, and it was answered by his uncle.

"Neville! I thought you had gone to bed."

"I thought of something I need to do, and you're probably the best person to organize this. I want you to hire some tutors for me, as well as some security guards for the estate."

"What sort of tutors?" He eyed his grand-nephew with interest.

"Apparition. I want to get my license as soon as possible. And dueling. Or fighting. Harry's trained me some, but the next time I encounter Death Eaters, I want to walk away."

His uncle nodded. "Good thinking. And the guards?"

"We're at war. Voldemort," and he barely stumbled over it, "won't stop until he's dead. I want my people as safe as I can make them."

Again, his uncle nodded. "I'll get on it first thing in the morning." He paused, and asked, "By the way, you didn't see my wife while you were wandering around, did you?" Neville shook his head. "Oh, well. Probably doing some ritual with her friends. Good night, Neville."

- - -

At that moment, Neville's great-aunt Rosamond was in a parlor in the guest wing. There were seven other witches with her. They were waiting for Mrs. O'Hare. Mrs. O'Hare was one floor up, outside of Hermione's room.

Hermione was ready for bed, and heading back to her bedroom after brushing her teeth. She had been thinking about Neville -- how like a feudal lord he was. There were people who depended on him, and she could tell he felt responsible for them. During some of their discussion, she forgot that she was talking to _Neville;_ he seemed so much more self assured and mature. At times he sounded like a businessman. He had always had potential, she thought, but maybe it wasn't in the area of magic.

She was almost to her door when she was startled out of her thoughts, and saw Mrs. O'Hare.

"Miss Granger, I wonder if you would do me the honor of joining my friends and me for a few minutes."

"It is late, Mrs. O'Hare. Could we talk in the morning?"

"While we could, they would prefer to speak with you tonight. I don't think it will take long."

"Very well." Hermione dropped her bathroom bag off in her room, and followed the older witch down the back stairs of the wing. Soon she was being introduced to the other witches she had seen earlier. They were all still dressed in the white robes, and ranged in age from old to ancient. The only name that she recognized was Rosamond Croaker -- Algie's wife, she assumed. The oldest was Esmarelda Peasegood. After the introductions were over, Mrs. Peasegood spoke to Hermione.

"Miss Granger, we are the White Coven. We were wondering if there is some way we can help you?"

Hermione looked around warily. "I'm very sorry, but I don't think I've heard of you."

"That's alright, dear. We know you are Muggleborn. Let me explain.

"The Wizarding world, at least in Europe, has for centuries consisted of small communities. Hogsmeade is a small village compared to most Muggle towns. It's unique in that it's an all magical town. Most witches and wizards live in mixed communities, where there are at least a few other magical families. For example, there are at least four families in Ottery-St. Catchpole, where your friend, Mr. Weasley, lives. But even though we live among them, we like to keep to our own kind. One thing this has done is caused the formation of many different clubs and cliques throughout the magical world. There have been over the years the Royal Academy of Conjurors, the Infernal Society of Necromancers, the Order of the Phoenix, the Order of Merlin, the Red Coven, and we are the White Coven."

"Wait! The Order of Merlin is an award."

"Now it is. For the last two centuries or so, that is correct. But originally it was a group of Wizards and Witches who banded together to protect Wizarding Society from evil wizards, and evil Muggle governments. They would extend entry to others who did the same. Until about two hundred years ago a group of witches and wizards, with no interest in joining the order after defeating a nasty, but minor, dark wizard were inducted anyway. There's no quicker way to destroy a group then to invite others in who do not wish to be part of it. Less then 20 years later the Order was no more than a name given to award those the government wishes to praise, or flatter.

"The White Coven is a sort of social club. Most covens are. I'm sure you've noticed that while witches and wizards enjoy a certain degree of equality before the law, in many respects we are lesser citizens. Have you ever walked through the Ministry during the day? Well, if you had, you would have noticed that 9 out of 10 ministry employees are men. There's no rule against women, it's just society expects us to stay home. For the most part, we're happy to do that and raise our children. But after twenty or thirty years of raising children, what are we supposed to do for the next hundred years of our lives? The White Coven is a group of influential witches who support each other, and pressure the government to see things our way. As such, we're no different from any of a score of other pressure group."

She leaned forward towards Hermione and smiled. "Except that we're rich, powerful, or both."

Hermione absorbed what the old witch was saying. She could understand the social and political aspects of the group. One thing puzzled her, though.

"Why did you want to speak with me?"

The old witch smiled again. "Several things. First, we didn't think you had heard of us, and we wanted to let you know who we were. Second, we've heard of you. As you grow older, we want you to consider joining us some day. As I said, we're rich or powerful, and while I can't tell if you'll be rich, we already know you are powerful. And finally, we want you to know we're here to help you, if you need it."

"Help me? How?"

"We know you are working with Harry Potter to defeat the Dark Lord, and have fought his minions several times already. We may not be warriors, but if that is what you need, we can even try our hand at that. We know we have no future if the Dark Lord wins. Therefore, we will help you in your battle. But what we do best, besides have some lovely teas, is exert influence on the Ministry."

Hermione looked a little dazed. She gazed about at the Coven. This was something she hadn't expected. She stumbled over her words as she answered.

"I'm honored. I don't know what we need. I'm not even sure how we'll be fighting Voldemort." Hermione kept the amusement off her face, as she noticed even these tough old ladies winced at the name.

"Can you explain to me why everyone, even you, are afraid of Voldemort's name? Harry told me that during the first war people were tortured when they were caught saying it. But that was decades ago! You can't tell me you were all Crucioed during that time? But I can't think of a reason why a group of women who just volunteered to go to war with me are flinching at the name?"

"You're right. We weren't tortured. Do you have any phobias?"

"Ah...I don't like heights."

"Somehow, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named cast a spell that gives us a phobic reaction to his name. You can fight it, just as you can fight any phobia, but to do that you have to confront your fear. You have to repeatedly encounter it, until you get used to it. Obviously, you've done that. But it's not pleasant. Are you willing to encounter heights numerous times until you get over your fear of them?"

"But I never really had a fear of the name..."

"It feeds on itself. As a Muggle-Born you wouldn't have encountered it in your home. As you encountered it at school, didn't you too grow uncomfortable saying it?"

Hermione nodded.

"In a Wizarding household, the parents would have infected the children with it. It perpetuates itself."

"Alright, but I won't stop saying it.

"What have you been doing in this war so far?"

"We have been trying to persuade our families, at least those with younger children, to leave the country. The Dark Lord plans to eventually rule the world, but he's starting with England. We try to protect our own as well as we can. Some have left, others are ready to leave. It's a big decision to leave your country and go to somewhere strange. As troublesome as the Ministry's been under Fudge, as poor as the education system has become under Dumbledore, this is our home, and it is comfortable, and known."

"What do you mean, poor education under Dumbledore?"

"Surely you don't think your instruction has been good, do you dear? There hasn't been a graduate who has gone on to advanced potions since Snape became potions instructor. A few retirements by Master Potion makers, and the country will need to import a good share of our advanced potions. He has a ghost teaching history who wasn't very good when he was alive. Three of the last six defense teachers were Death Eaters, and a fourth was a ministry lackey who's job was to _not_ teach defense. You at least got two good instructors, although one was a werewolf. And we hear the care of magical creatures instructor is only slowly getting the hang of the job."

"Hagrid has been getting better. But you're wrong about Lockhart. He was a fraud and an awful teacher."

"But you see, in about half of your classes you have received poor instruction. Minerva McGonagall has always been a good Transfigurations instructor..."

One of the other old witches interrupted, "Except the first few years. She was so insistent on keeping discipline in the classroom that she forgot to actually teach."

"Well, she got better. Hopefully, she will straighten Hogwarts out, now that she's Headmistress."

Hermione backed up to something that had been said. "Why would you want your families to leave, rather than to fight? What good will running away do?"

"My dear, if you had children, would you fight to protect them?"

"Of course."

"As would any mother or father. But if you had children and were living in a war zone, would you keep them at risk, and stay? Wouldn't you rather get them to safety, then worry about the big picture? Would you put them in danger for a principle?"

Hermione answered slowly, "No, I guess not. It's a terrible choice."

"Not if you have children. They always get priority."

Hermione was silent while she thought of this.

"There is one thing you might be able to do. While Neville and Harry are only a couple of weeks from becoming adults, we have other friends who are a year or more from becoming adults. If something could be done about the underage magic restrictions, it could help."

Another woman spoke up, "You are speaking about the Weasley and Lovegood girls?" Other witches looked at her with questioning expressions, and she explained, "They were with Miss Granger at the Department of Mysteries."

"Yes, them, but also, a lot of students in my year were taught defense by Harry. Not all of them are of age yet, but they probably could use practice to stay ready. With the lowering of the age limit, it might save someone's life."

"Very well, Miss Granger. We'll look into doing this for you. In the meantime, here." Mrs. Peasegood handed her a small mirror. It was about the twice the size of a dentist's mirror, with a white rim and handle. Hermione realized it was ivory and would have protested, if she thought it would do any good. "If you want to contact us, just say the name of the witch you wish to talk to.

"Oh, and don't tell your friends about this. Most men, even the ones we bribe and blackmail, think of us as just a social club."

"You bribe and blackmail people?"

"How do you think a bunch of sweet, old ladies get the Ministry to agree to our little requests." She gave a smile that could have graced any grandmother looking at a grandchild for the first time. Then they all laughed. Hermione thanked them, and went to her room. She slept restlessly that night. Something about what they said bothered her, and she couldn't figure out what specifically it was.

- - - - - -

**AN: **Next time - Godric's Hollow.

I've given in to people who thought some of my scene transitions were confusing, and putting separators between them. Hope this helps.

Thanks for reviewing!


	11. Godric's Hollow

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. **  
Author's Notes: **My thanks to my beta Animagus!

**Chapter 11: Godric's Hollow**

Harry was up his normal time the next day. He did his Occlumecy exercises and went towards the kitchen. Fritz was already up and preparing breakfast. He insisted on serving Harry in the dining room. While Harry was eating his eggs, Neville came in. He greeted Harry and stepped into the kitchen for a moment to order his breakfast, then sat down with Harry.

"Harry, according to Great Uncle Algie, I'm needed here for awhile. Hopefully, I'll be able to join you in a couple of weeks. Of course, you're welcome to stay here. I've asked Algie to hire someone to teach me dueling. You can join with that, too."

Harry looked around. Given the choice between here and Grimmauld Place, he'd rather be here. He smiled, and looked at his friend.

"Neville, I'd love to spend some time here. Unless Ron and Hermione have reasonable objections, we'll stay here at least until our birthdays."

"That's great, Harry.

"Uh, Harry, can I ask you a personal question?"

Harry wasn't sure what was coming, but he trusted Neville. "Sure, I guess. I'll answer if I can."

"What's going on between you and Ginny? She was upset yesterday about a lot of things, which is understandable considering what happened. But some of what bothered her was you."

Harry sighed. "I don't know what's going to happen between us. We broke up because I thought it was too dangerous for her to be with me during this fight. At least that's what I told her and myself. But that's not the whole truth. I don't know if I feel right with her. You know Ron really enjoyed his time with Lavender, but eventually decided that she wasn't what he really wanted? Well, I'm feeling that way with Ginny. I like her, but I don't think I like her _that_ way, if you know what I mean."

Neville nodded. "I think I understand. She did say something about you and Luna."

Harry looked at the ceiling, and shook his head. "Why is everyone pairing me up with Luna? Luna's a friend. And Ginny asked me to make sure she didn't make a scene at the wedding. I'm sorry she didn't like me enjoying myself when I was with Luna or Gabrielle, but they're my friends, and I can't see giving up friends for a girlfriend. I sometimes think Ginny's rather immature."

"Her and Ron, both," Neville said quietly. "I think he'll have to mature if he wants to keep Hermione." Both boys nodded at this.

Shortly there after, Ron and Hermione showed up for breakfast. Hermione had awakened Ron and waited for him so they would come down together. They talked about plans and agreed to spend the next week and a half with Neville. The trio would be gone for the next day, however, because Harry wanted to visit Godric's Hollow. They would spend the night in Wales and return the next day. They packed a picnic lunch, and left soon after breakfast. Neville was busy as they left, hearing stories about his grandmother from her friends.

They drove across England on the A47. Harry thought it ironic that Ron, who had a loving family raising him, was as amazed at the size, diversity, and beauty of the country they were driving through as he was, a boy who had spent his life outside of Hogwarts a virtual prisoner in Little Whinging.

Teaching Ron how to navigate was interesting, too. Reading signs while traveling 80 kph was not something he picked up quickly. And it seemed that every time he looked away from the map, he lost his place. He just was not used to maps.

They had a light lunch in Birmingham (despite Ron's insistence that he was going to drop from hunger). Ron and Harry were amazed at the size of the city, and the sheer number of people. While Harry had seen large numbers of people on the TV, he hadn't encountered them in person. And even though Diagon Alley was crowded, it was finite. This seemed to go on for kilometers in every direction.

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Meanwhile, in Ottery-St. Catchpole, two young witches were cleaning up after lunch. At the Burrow, Ginny was working with Charlie on dishes. Ginny was still upset, but the immediate shock of the loss of two members of the family was past. At this point all they could do was wait for Arthur and Fred to die. Their bodies didn't even know how to feed themselves, and were slowly dying. Most Wizarding families, though, considered them already dead and just waited for the bodies to catch up. While they worked quietly, Ginny was trying to figure out some way to join Harry on his summer adventure. She had an idea and had run it past Charlie. If Molly were to go live with Percy for a while, Ginny might be able to get away. She had suggested that she could mend fences with Percy, make sure he was eating right, get Molly into a new environment for a little while, and give her something to do beside brood. Charlie thought the idea had merit, and would speak to Percy the next time he was at the Burrow. Ginny smiled inwardly, looking forward to getting Harry alone.

Across town, Luna was cleaning up from lunch, too. She had eaten alone, but her father had been there at breakfast, and those dishes had needed cleaning, too. Their relationship was still strained. She could admit that her father really wanted to help people by getting the information out first, but the way he abandoned her still hurt. While she worked, she wondered how she could help Harry in his quest for the Horcruxes. As she finished, she realized what she could do. She took some floo powder and tossed it in the fireplace.

"The _Quibbler_," she said, serenely, as she stepped into the green flame.

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As they were leaving, Hermione complained that they didn't have time to visit Stratford-upon-Avon, which led to a discussion of Shakespeare. "Discussion" would probably be too generous for what was said. Harry had read some of the Bard's plays -- an unused gift given to Dudley once upon a time -- but Ron had no idea who he was and why he was important. Harry had to tell an unbelieving Hermione to watch the road. She had turned around and was staring at Ron. Harry, while not a Shakespearian scholar, at least knew _Romeo and Juliet_ and _Macbeth._ Hermione did most of the talking, and they had reached the boarder to Wales by the time she finished.

They drove most of the way to Rhayader before heading away from the Wye River into the Cambrian Mountains. The roads were smaller and slower here. They eventually reached the the little village of Godwic's Hollow in the mid afternoon.

While they stopped to fill the car, they could see most of the town. It consisted of a grocers right across the street from the petrol station, a pub, a couple of other stores, a restaurant, and a church. The attendant had never heard of the Potters, so they parked the car and walked on. Harry led them to the pub.

The pub was cleaner, darker, and smaller than the Leaky Cauldron. The serving girl was too young, just a few years older than Harry, to know anything about events 15 years ago. But when she learned that Harry was looking for his family's graves, she went to apartment above the pub and got her father. After a history of the pub (in his family for three generations, thank you very much) and the local area (which didn't seem to have anything historical about it) he finally got around to addressing Harry's question. He did remember the Potters. Terrible business, it was, the explosion and fire. Harry found out that they were buried on the property. But when Harry asked for directions, the barkeep became vague. He did the best he could, but for some reason, he couldn't think of where exactly they lived. The house was within sight of a pond, and he gave Harry directions to the pond.

"But I wouldn't go there, if I were you," he said, ominously.

"Why not?"

"There's been some who's gone up that way. About ten years ago, a couple went up there and never returned. Never found them, either. People say there's some lingering evil about the place. No offense, but some even whisper..." and his voice dropped to a whisper, "about witchcraft. Stuff and nonsense. He were a policeman, not around here, mind you, and she were studying to be a teacher, but then you can along. He were going to get a job in the area so as to be able to spend more time with you and yer mum. Met them a few times, the month or so they lived here before the accident. If accident it were."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a little suspiciously. _He_ knew it wasn't an accident, but Muggles weren't supposed to know.

"Yer dad never told me where he worked. You don't get that secretive just by working for the police. Nor do you leave a job and move to a place like Godric's Hollow without having a new job. Not if you have a choice. No, I think in his job he ticked off some people who don't like policemen, if you know what I mean. Could 'ave been the IRA, or the UDF, or one of them damn German Red groups. No one never said, but then the way things seemed to be hushed up, you know it was something like that."

Harry thanked him for the information, and promised to stop by on their way back. The trio got back into Hermione's car, and drove further into the hills. A quarter mile out of town, they turned, and continued a further mile. They found the mailbox, the letters "ter" still visible and overgrown path leading into the woods. They parked the car, took the picnic basket, and headed up the path. The woods only lasted a hundred meters or so, and then they found themselves in a large, overgrown field of wildflowers, with a pond off to one side. Not far the edge of the woods they came to the graves.

There was a little brass rail most of the way around it. Two rectangular markers said simply _James Raymond Potter_ and _Lily Teresa Potter_ along with their birthdays, and the day of their death. Harry didn't know what he was supposed to feel, nor did he know what he was actually feeling. Ron said that they'd set up the picnic by the pond.

Hermione was almost dragged away by Ron. She hissed angrily at him about not being able to wait just a little while before eating. He responded in a whisper, without any anger at all, that he thought Harry would want some time alone. They followed the path a little farther -- it seemed to be winding around the pond -- looking for a lunch spot. There was no sign of the house, and the path seemed to disappear into a profusion of wildflowers. They moved towards the pond, and set out a blanket. They could see Harry from where they were, and they kept an eye on him while setting up the food. At one time, when Hermione looked Harry's way, she was sure he was crying. Again, Ron stopped her, giving Harry his privacy. After a while, he joined them, and expressed surprise that Ron hadn't eaten everything yet. Ron just snorted. In truth, he hadn't eaten anything while waiting.

They had a rather pleasant meal. Nothing strange happened, but Ron seemed to be taking his job as body guard seriously, today, and kept looking around. If the house had ever been here, it was gone now - they didn't even see the foundations. After their late lunch/early dinner they headed back to the car. After a quick stop at the pub to thank the owner, and let him know they were fine, they left town. Harry was quiet as they drove back to Rhayader, where they got some hotel rooms. They relaxed that evening, sitting around one of the rooms, but Harry was still quiet. After another attempted discussion died quietly, he explained what he was feeling.

"That was where it all started for me -- where my parents were murdered, where I got my scar, where Voldemort marked me his equal. For some reason I just expected _something_ there. Some clue, or omen, _something_ that would point me along the next step. I guess I feel let down, even though it's my own fault for expecting something unrealistic. Sorry guys.

"Let's get an early start, so we can get back to Neville's as soon as possible. Maybe his tutor will be there." They agreed to this, and went to bed. As they were heading towards their rooms, Harry stopped Ron.

"Ron, you like Hermione, right?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? You know we're a couple."

"It's just that if you want to keep being a couple, you have to learn to like what she likes. Or at least act interested in it."

Ron stared at him blankly.

"For instance, in the car when she was talking about Shakespeare, did you pay attention?"

"Well, no, but you know how she goes on. . . ."

"But if you want to keep her, you have to listen to what she says, and remember it, or some of it."

"Why is it me? Why doesn't she have to learn the things I like?"

"You do know that she's read _Quidditch Through the Ages_?"

"Yes. . . ."

"See, she is taking an interest in what you like. I'm just saying it has to be a two way street. If you want to keep her."

"What about you and Ginny? Do you take an interest in what she's doing?"

"No, not really."

"Then what are you on about me for?"

"With Ginny, I really wasn't interested until this year. Then, after we got together, we really didn't do much except snog and talk about Quidditch. I'm not sure if we have anything in common outside that."

"You were both you-know, by You-Know-Who," Ron said quietly.

"There's a good starting point -- being possessed," Harry answered sarcastically.

"Well, what about you and Luna? Seems to me you've gone on a couple of dates with her."

"Huh? We went to Slughorn's Christmas party, but only as friends. Unless you're calling our trip to the Department of Mysteries a date."

"No, the wedding. You were with her most of the time."

"We're just friends. Why can't people accept that we're friends!"

"Alright! Alright. It just seems you're friendlier with Luna than you are with Ginny."

"That could be because Luna isn't trying to be my girlfriend, and Ginny is. Personally, I don't _want_ a girlfriend now. I can use all the friends I can get, but a girlfriend is something I don't want to get into now.

"Goodnight, Ron. You know I only brought it up because I like both of you, and I'd like to see this work out for both of you."

"Yeah, I know. Good night, Harry."

Before she went to bed Hermione turned on the TV and watched the news. One item caught her attention. The government was warning about a new terrorist group. They were invading out-of-the-way houses, killing the inhabitants, and living in the houses for up to a week at a time. They were extremely dangerous, and if someone noticed that friends or family were missing normal activities, they were to contact the police. The danger couldn't be underestimated, and approaching the terrorists would only get you killed. She went to bed after that.

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While Harry, Ron, and Hermione were having a quiet day, others were busy. At the ministry it was decided that they had extracted all the information they could out of Malfoy. He was transferred to Azkaban, and put in a cell with his father. The older Malfoy hated the fact that he would have to take care of Draco. Draco couldn't really answer his father back, because he was totally dependent on Lucius until his guards decided to heal him. The situation gnawed at both of them.

Also at the Ministry a large group of Aurors were collected and briefed on their new assignment. After outfitting them they left the government offices and spread out to various places around Britain. One group set up watch outside Malfoy Manner. They settled in for a long stake-out.

Later, as darkness fell, Death Eaters from the secret barracks beneath the Manor congregated in the ballroom. They were mostly newer recruits. The Death Eater mask couldn't stop most of the people there from recognizing the voice of their former Potions professor as he gave them their instructions. They left the house, and headed towards the limits of the anti-apparition wards. As they walked, talking excitedly amongst themselves, the Disillusionment charmed Aurors closed in. When they were in range, Tonks whispered to the other Aurors to wait. She removed a snitch sized ball from a pocket of her robe, winced at the bas-relief image of a scantily clad girl on it, and tossed the latest experimental Wease of the the Weasley twins at the Death Eaters. The "Supifying Sue" landed in the middle of the masked figures and exploded with a bright light. More than half of the Death Eaters went down immediately. Meanwhile the Aurors let loose with a barrage of normal Stun spells, quickly taking out the rest. In all, fourteen Death Eaters were captured.

Events at other houses of known Death Eaters didn't go as smoothly. Three other firefights broke out, with a final tally of twenty nine Death Eaters captured (wounded or whole), seven killed, and eight Aurors killed. The houses involved were soon secured by the Aurors, and a thorough search started on each of them.

Snape escaped because he wasn't part of the group that walked out. He was supposed to wait and take their reports when they returned. He Disillusioned himself and walked out the back door. He Apparated away once he was past the wards.

Death Eaters from two hideouts that were unknown to the Aurors were not stopped, and there were almost sixty Muggle families that never saw the sun rise. One of those Death Eaters was killed during an attack by a teenager with a cricket bat.

The next morning the media was filled with stories of the terrorist attacks. To the public, this was a continuation of a news report that Hermione saw before she went to bed. The murders were being attributed to this group. They even used the name "Death Eaters" for the terrorist group.

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Harry woke earlier than even he was used to, because of the pain in his scar. Voldemort was angry, but not as much as the other day, and wasn't using the pain curse on anyone. Harry relaxed, and did his Occlumency exercises, and the pain went away. As he was drifting off to sleep, he thought that Voldemort wasn't keeping his mind as shielded as he used to.

After that, Harry actually slept in late. Hermione had to wake both Ron and him up. They ate a quick breakfast and were on their way out of Wales by midmorning. As she drove, Hermione tried to revive the conversation that Luna started after the wedding. Harry felt that given his upbringing, he really didn't know what love was. Even the "love" that his aunt and uncle gave Dudley didn't seem right -- there had to be more to it than giving in to every whim of the one loved. That was something that Ron could agree with. His parents certainly didn't give in to their children's every need, but did love them. He joked about love being equated with feeding.

Hermione got some laughs from Ron and a very red Harry when she described Luna's analysis of Harry in light of St. Paul's definition. Ron especially liked the "brooding" part. Her explanation of being responsible for feelings quieted the car, though. In the end, they felt it was interesting, but not helpful in solving the riddle of Harry's "power."

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At Ottery-St. Catchpole various people were heading to different places. Mrs. Weasley had fed the household,and was preparing to go to St. Mungo's with George. There wasn't anything they could do to help, but they wanted to be there. Charlie and Ginny cleaned up after breakfast, and sat down to a cup of tea.

"How long will this go on?" Ginny asked.

"They could last a week. I suppose if they were force-fed they could live longer."

"Then what happens? To us, I mean."

"We go on. We have to. We'll be sad, and hurting, and angry, and full of self pity, and survivor guilt, and maybe depressed, and every morning we'll wake up, and still have to get out of bed, and do the things we have to do to get through the day. And the pain doesn't really go away. It's still there, but you layer it over with new memories and you sooth it with good memories of the one you lost. And you go on."

Ginny looked at her older brother with suspicion. "How do you know this? You sound like you're speaking from experience!"

Charlie sighed, and nodded. "Two years ago a woman I was going out with was killed by a dragon in an accident. We were getting serious, I think, even though we hadn't talked about it. I admit to being shook up by the return of You-Know-Who. But then when Erin died. . . ." He came back to the present. "But there's nothing that can be done about it. I'm here now, and You-Know-Who is out there, and I've got to do something to help stop him."

"Me too! What are we going to do?"

Charlie smiled. "_We_ are not going to do anything. _I_ am going to Headquarters to see what's happening; and see if there are any assignments. You. . . ." and he thought for a moment. "Can you find out what Harry's up to, and see if there's anything the Order can do for him?"

Ginny sighed. It wasn't much, but she could do it. And it allowed her to check up on Harry. "Alright. I'll try and find out." It would only take her a few minutes to send Pig to Harry. Then she wasn't sure what to do with herself.

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On the other side of town, Luna and her Father were eating breakfast. Of the two, Luna was the better cook, but that wasn't saying too much. Cooking was a skill that she felt was one of those mysteries passed down from mother to daughter, which she missed out on. In keeping with her resolve to be responsible for her emotions, she felt the sense of loss, and let it go. Breakfast was one of those meals that either of them could make equally well. It just happened that this breakfast, like most, was made by Luna.

"Daddy, I noticed something while looking through the morgue yesterday. The _Quibbler_ in the '70's was much more like _Witches Weekly_ is today. A lot more gossip and fashion. The news was more _Prophet-_like, too. I'm only up to '76. When did it change?"

Larry Lovegood gave a self-satisfied grin. "It changed after I took over. After Potter defeated the Dark Lord as a child, Fudge fired about half the Aurors, including me. I needed to do something, and the _Quibbler _was up for sale - it wasn't different enough from _Witches Weekly_ or the _Prophet,_ and wasn't making any money. I revamped it, putting in a lot more "man on the street" interviews, which led to a lot of the more popular theories that we publish -- the Goblin Pies, the magical creatures, the Rotfang Conspiracy. I didn't make them up - these were reported by people."

Luna felt that the bottom had fallen out of her world. "What about the truth? Did you ever try to get to the truth of these reports?"

"What is the truth? Can we even know it? If someone reports that Sirius Black was really the lead singer for the Hobgoblins, if they believe it, isn't that the truth as they know it? And they weren't totally wrong, you say. So he wasn't in the band; he was still innocent. Maybe Fudge didn't eat Goblins. He still hated them, and he was still a rotten Minister of Magic. So there's some enhancement to the stories. The truth still gets out."

He wasn't really looking at Luna. He wasn't looking at anything, Luna thought. Or maybe he was looking at the past.

"So if someone said that Voldemort ran an orphanage and took good care of children, you'd print that because someone said it was true? And comfort yourself with the knowledge that Voldemort really lived in an orphanage where he was neglected, and terrorized the other children?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"Harry. He knows a lot about Voldemort, because he and Dumbledore researched it. Don't you do any research?"

"We're on a deadline. If someone refutes what we print, we usually print that, too."

Something else she had to ask about, although she was sure she wasn't going to like the answer. "And the creatures you report on? Nargils, and Crumple Horned Snorkacks, and Side Hill Winders, and Purple Mountain Jackalopes? Do they really exist? Or are they someone's truth that has nothing to do with the world as we know it?"

Lovegood noticed the tears in his daughter's eyes. That brought him up. None of this was supposed to hurt anyone. Very few people took the _Quibbler _seriously. Most of the rest took the sentiment as true, and the rest for what it was -- entertainment. He took a breath, and felt he should try to salvage something. This wasn't that different from what he did with the _Quibbler._ Some truth, mixed in.

"The magical creatures -- I got an O in my Care of Magical Creatures NEWT. That's something I know about. I admit I don't know if everything we've printed is true, but a lot of it is. The major researches in the field think that Crumpled Horn Snorkacks are extinct, but every story that we report has to match up with what I do know about them. For example, that report on the Jub-Jub bird -- we printed explicitly that we doubted the existence of them, because I know I've never heard of them before."

Luna looked at her father with her silver, protruding eyes. He squirmed under that gaze, but didn't look away.

"I have more research to do. Could you clean up the breakfast dishes? If you need me, I'll be in the morgue." She got up from the table and went to the fireplace.

"Luna?" She turned to look at him. "I'm sorry."

She threw the floo powder into the fireplace and spun away to the _Quibbler's_ offices to spend another day in the files of old copies. She didn't know what to do with her feelings, so she put them away, like she had so many others. She had a job to do.

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Snape woke up in his own bed. After the events of the evening and morning, he was a little surprised that he escaped without coming under the Crucio spell that morning. There was another knock on his door.

"Who is it?" he snarled.

Pettigrew stuck his head in and said, "Mrs. Malfoy is here to see you."

Snape glanced at the clock on the dresser: ten in the morning It had been a long night. He sighed. He guessed what it was about.

"Tell her I'll be right there."

He got up, dressed, and entered the front room of his house. Narcissa was waiting there for him. He sent Pettigrew away, and made sure he wasn't listening.

"Severus, our spies report that Draco is now at Azkaban."

Snape shook his head. Lately, all he had been getting was bad news. He looked at Narcissa, the pleading in her face, the tears in her eyes. He took a deep breath.

"Very well, I'll see what can be done. I have to, of course, since he was on our lord's business when this happened. But I am no longer a favorite to our master. After yesterday I am on thin ice. It may take a little while, but I assure you, if the vow isn't assurance enough, that I will work on rescuing him. If you see your sister, tell her that I'd like to speak with her."

Narcissa sniffed, and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Severus. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"I'm sorry you are involved in this. The master is not sympathetic to mothers. How did it come to this?"

"Twenty five years ago a group of stupid children joined with a powerful psychopath, and in the immortality of youth thought that we couldn't lose. Those who considered such things thought we were protecting our way of life. Most, I think, saw him as the one who would win, so joined up in typical Slytherin fashion. Others saw an opportunity to practice their sadism. Now most of us are older, and we're not even sure if we would want the world that our master promises to give us. We're trapped. We can't escape him, any more than Karkaroff could. We're damned, and I no longer know if we'd be better off winning or losing."

"Don't let the master even guess that you're thinking like that."

She snorted, and straightened. "Of course not. Thank you. I'll tell Bella you want to see her." Then she left with her head held high.

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As they neared the turn off that would lead them towards Birmingham, Harry asked that they stay on the A44 and go to London. He explained that as much as he'd like to go to Neville's for a while, he was feeling anxious to get started on the search for Horcruxes. This brought up another discussion on how they were going to do that. Harry figured that the they could search for the orphanage that Riddle grew up in, and maybe try to find Hepzibah Smith's house. He still wasn't sure how to find the mysterious R.A.B.

The others agreed, and Hermione drove towards London.

Only two incidents occurred on the drive to Grimmauld Place. The first occurred as they reached the junction of the A46. Harry quietly nudged Ron and pointed out a sign. At first Ron had a blank look then he realized what Harry was suggesting.

"Hermione, can you tell me more about this Shakes guy, who lives in Stratford-upon-Avon?"

"His name is Shakespeare, and he's dead. He just happens to be the greatest poet and play write in the English Language!"

"Hey, don't bite my head off. I admit I'm ignorant. That's why I'm asking."

Hermione calmed down, and they actually had an interesting discussion. Whenever she started descending into "lecture mode," Ron would speak up, with a question, keeping it conversational. Harry was surprised on two accounts -- Ron seemed to be actually learning about Shakespeare (as was he), and Ron was subtly manipulating Hermione to help her avoid one of her annoying habits.

The other incidents occurred on the outskirts of London on the M40. A lorry cut them off, causing Hermione to slam on the brakes. The interesting thing was the stream of words that then issued from her mouth. Harry and Ron stared at her, dumbfounded. She blushed, and apologized.

They parked in front of Twelve Grimmauld Place, and went to the door. It was locked. Harry knocked, and they were let in by Charlie. He was surprised to see them. Harry explained that they had some things to do in Muggle London, and decided that this would be a good place to stay for a few days. Charlie offered to get them some guards when they went out, but they declined.

Inside they met Mad Eye. He had moved there after an attack on his home. His house was better warded now than it had been when he was captured several years ago, but he knew that the Black house was even better protected. He didn't like it here, but he literally couldn't go home. Harry, as owner, told him to stay as long as he liked.

They also met the portrait of Sirius' mother. She still screamed from behind a charm of silence. Harry stared at the picture for a few minutes. Even Mrs. Black stopped her silent noise and watched him. When Hermione finally got his attention, all he would do was smile and tell them that he had an idea. They gave up when they couldn't get anything out of him.

Harry tried to fire-talk with Neville, but he was unavailable. He did ask Fritz to send Hedwig to Harry (he didn't tell Fritz where he was, but knew that Hedwig would find him). He also arranged a time to try to talk to Neville again.

Hermione then put her plan into action to find the orphanage. They had considered trying to find it through the Muggle government records, but Hermione thought they'd have an easier time trying to get at the school's records. Consequently, she floo-ed Headmistress McGonagall at Hogwarts. Explaining that the Floo network wasn't secure, Hermione went through the fireplace to visit their former head of house. Ron and Harry took their trunks up to their rooms. They put Hermione's trunk in her room from the previous year. Then they took another room. Once again, they were unable to find the room they had used the previous summer.

Hermione came back in time for dinner. Harry and Ron had discovered that Remus was also living there. Until that day he had been bored. The Order was less active under Diggle, and the Werewolves no longer accepted him. He informed Harry that he had just started a new job that day -- Professor McGonagall had sent some work his way. Moody, who was eating with them, added that he had also been offered the job, but declined. The three teenagers were becoming more curious, as the adults appeared to be hiding something from them. The looks Moody and Remus kept giving each other only reinforced that perception among the teens.

The mystery was solved shortly after dinner, when Neville floo-ed Harry. He was excited about his new tutor, their old Defense instructor, Remus Lupin. Neville was disappointed that they weren't returning to his place, but accepted it with good graces. He did want to know if Harry was going to do something dangerous, and insisted that he be allowed to accompany them. Harry agreed.

Neville also explained that his lessons with Remus were in the morning, and he was tutored in the afternoon by his Uncle Algie to run the Manor. He complained about Hogwarts needing a class in arithmetic. He reiterated his invitation to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to join him for lessons, even if they weren't staying there. Harry said they would try, and suggested that Neville make the same offer to Luna and Ginny.

After they ended the connection, Harry found everyone in the parlor, waiting for him. Harry wasn't sure what was going on, until Hermione spoke.

"Harry, I'd like to tell you what I found, and I think we should include Remus and Mr. Moody."

"No need to be so formal, lass. You can call me Moody, or Alastor, if you want. Only people who called me "Mister" were my bosses, and then only when I was in trouble."

Hermione gave him a smile. "Very well, Alastor, thank you. Harry, I don't want to make your decision for you, but I think we could use the help."

Harry looked around the room, and nodded. "You're right, as usual, Hermione. I was going to bring you two in eventually. I'm going to let you in on something Dumbledore told me, but it's got to be kept secret. I need your word on this."

Moody cast a number of detection spells around the room, and for good measure put up some more protective spells. Once he was sure that the room was as private as magic could make it he gave Harry his word. Remus also gave his word.

Harry then told them about the Horcruxes. He stressed the importance of keeping the fact that they were searching for them from the Dark Lord, fearing he would make the Horcruxes impossible to find, make more of them, and set up traps for the searchers. He also described how the locket had been secured, and that Dumbledore's withered hand was probably the result of whatever protections the ring had.

Moody looked thoughtful. "Dark magic, that. But I guess we can't expect anything else from You-Know-Who. There are probably spells that could help in the search, but I don't know. They don't mention Horcruxes in Auror training."

Remus had to admit that he had never heard of them before.

Hermione spoke up, as the conversation seemed to die, "I wanted to tell you that I'm pretty sure that there's one at the Greater London City Orphanage."

"That's great, Hermione! Then we can go there tomorrow, get past all the fiendish traps, and get it!" Ron exclaimed, only half joking.

"Unfortunately not. Because the reason I'm so sure that it's there is because the address of the orphanage is not on Riddles' records at Hogwarts. It's a standard form, hasn't changed in a hundred years, but on his record there isn't even a place for his home address. I'm afraid it's under a Fidelius."


	12. Breakthrough

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. **  
**

**Author's Notes: **My thanks to my beta Animagus!

**Chapter 12: Breakthrough**

The discussion didn't resolve very much. Remus and Hermione planned to research the Fidelius. Moody wanted to talk to some people about Horcruxes, but Harry asked him not to. Remus offered to teach everyone at Neville's. Harry noted that Neville had offered the same thing.

They discussed the Horcruxes and their possible locations. They got no further than the trio had in the car, but Moody offered to check with McGonagall and Dumbledore's brother Aberforth and see if the late headmaster had left any papers giving clues or help.

It was getting late, but Hermione had one more thing to discuss. "Changing the subject greatly, I'd like to talk about the dishes. I think we should set up a schedule for who does them and when. We should also do that for who makes the meals."

"We also need to go shopping," Harry added. "We don't have enough for another meal of sandwiches. The tea seems to be running low, and don't expect more than one egg tomorrow morning - there's only a half dozen left. And no bacon."

"Plus, we usually provide snacks for the weekly meeting of the Order on Wednesday nights," Remus said. "I've been doing most of the shopping and cooking with some help from Molly and Tonks. Cleaning has been rather haphazard."

"Why don't we get Kreacher back?" Ron asked.

"No!" Harry and Hermione said at the same time.

"But," Harry continued, "maybe we can hire Dobby?"

"That's a brilliant idea!" Ron exclaimed.

"I suppose," said Hermione hesitantly.

"It's his decision. I'll ask him, and even offer him a raise."

"Maybe we'll get some good food around here for a change." Moody looked at Remus. "Hasn't been a decent meal since Molly got busy with the wedding."

As he said that, Ron seemed to deflate; he slouched in his chair and his smile fell.

"Sorry, lad," Moody said. "I know it's hard. We lost a lot of friends in the first war, and I expect we'll lose more before this one is over."

"Get some sleep. I expect you'll want to join Neville in the morning."

They said their good-nights and headed up to bed. Harry stopped by the loo and brushed his teeth. As he was passing Hermione's room he saw Hermione sitting on Ron's lap. He asked if they wanted the door closed, which elicited and emphatic no from Hermione. Ron didn't say anything, but seemed to want to disagree. Harry left the door open and went to bed.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went with Remus early the next morning to train with Neville. Luna showed up, but Ginny didn't. They spent two hours working on their aiming and speed. When Hermione asked about the underage magic rules, Remus told her that they had been modified for the duration of the war. Children could perform magic under the supervision of an adult. The Secrecy laws were still in place, though.

"When did this change?" she asked.

"Scrimgeour announced it Monday afternoon. It was in the Tuesday edition of the Prophet," Remus answered.

Hermione kept her thoughts to herself. Internally, she was shocked that the White Coven could have gotten the laws changed so quickly. She had only asked for this Sunday night. She was both pleased and disturbed by the power of the Coven.

Remus taught them something that had eluded Harry and Ron all year. During their speed casting practice, he had them cast the same spell over and over. As they got into the rhythm of it, he had them speak the invocation in an increasingly quieter volume until they weren't saying anything at all. They couldn't believe that the teachers had just expected them to do it silently after years of using incantations. But Remus' way worked for them. Even Neville was casting silent stunners after a short time.

They practiced dodging in teams of two, one running at the other, dodging spells cast by the stationary person. Remus had them do this twice. Once right at the beginning of the lesson, and again after their target and speed practice. The results were radically different. Most of them were only hit once or twice the first time they tried it. After the other practice, the casters hit their targets with noticeable regularity. Ron and Harry were still the best at dodging, though, and claimed it was their Quidditch reflexes.

The final lesson of the day was Apparation. Remus gave Luna the basics, while helping Ron, Harry, and Neville practice for their upcoming test. Hermione spoke privately to Remus about the illegality of teaching Luna, but he felt she should have the skill in case she needed it. Hermione didn't like it, but kept quiet.

After four hours of fairly intense training, they ate lunch and said their goodbyes for the day. Luna left for Diagon Alley, Neville for more instruction from his great uncle, and the other students headed back to Grimmauld Place. Remus needed to talk to Mrs. Weasley about the Order meeting that night and went to the Burrow..

Back at Headquarters, they discussed their afternoon. They greeted Charlie, who was still watching headquarters. He was looking forward to the Order meeting that night, hoping to get assigned a different job. He was on leave from his job at the Dragon Reserve, but he really wanted to strike a blow against the Death Eaters in retaliation for their attack on his family.

"We should talk to Dobby about working for us," said Ron.

"And he stays free?" Hermione asked, menacingly.

"Of course. I don't want to _own_ anyone. He's a friend."

"All right, then. But no more ordering him to do something day and night!"

"Uh, right. I forgot how literal he takes things."

"And before we call him, let's go shopping and get food so he has something to feed us with." Hermione wouldn't let Ron out of the trip. Harry had his own reason to go shopping.

One long trip to the grocery store and a quick stop at a hardware store later, they were busy unpacking a very full car. Hermione parked in the old stables/garage behind the house, but still in the Fidelius wards. They each grabbed a bag or two, and headed in the back door. Harry was almost knocked over when an excited Ginny Weasley grabbed him in a hug. With a cry of "Watch out for the eggs!" he got the teenager off him quickly. Mrs. Weasley was already puttering around the kitchen, getting things ready for dinner and for the night's meeting. She had brought a shepherd's pie with her and started heating it up once the shoppers were back.

Multiple trips to the car later got the pantry restocked. Harry took his package and headed to the entrance.

"Shall we get Dobby now?" Ron asked.

"Might as well. DOBBY!" Harry shouted the house elf's name. Nothing happened. "Oh, well. It was worth a try. KREACHER!"

The house elf appeared. "Filthy master called for Kreacher?" He looked around and sighed. "Kreacher back in mistress' home."

"Yes. I have some instructions for you."

"What does master want Kreacher to do?"

"First, you must never use the word 'Mudblood' again. You must not insult any wizard or witch because of their ancestry."

Kreacher made a wordless sound of frustration.

"Next, you will be returning to Hogwarts and working with the elves there. You will obey the other elves and work at Hogwarts. Also, as soon as you get there, tell Dobby that I would like to talk to him. And finally, you have a minute to go say goodbye to Mrs. Black, as you probably won't be returning here for a long time. After that, go back to Hogwarts and follow the rest of my instructions."

Kreacher looked at Harry with a strange expression on his face. He said simply, "Thank you, master." He headed off towards the painting.

"That was nice of you Harry," Hermione said.

"Yeah, mate. I would have just shipped him off."

"Well, I hope to never see him again, so maybe he'll have a happier life."

They waited in the hall, talking about nothing in particular, when suddenly, with a _pop! _Dobby appeared.

"Harry Potter, sir! Oh Dobby is so happy to see you again. Harry Potter is the bestest wizard in the world to remember poor Dobby!"

"Poor Dobby? I thought they were paying you at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, with a slight smile.

"Yes, they pays me, and make me take days off, too."

"That's good. But I was wondering if you would like to work for me?..."

Harry was going to say more, but was interrupted by the elf. "Oh! Joyousness goodness! Oh, yes! Dobby will work for the bestest, greatestest Harry Potter! Youse have made Dobby so happy!"

Hermione gave Harry that _look_ that said she wasn't happy, and he knew he'd be hearing about it.

"Dobby, if you're going to work for me you have to accept two Galleons a week, and you still have your day off."

Dobby seemed to deflate. "Very wells, if Dobby must, he must. But Dobby be working for Harry Potter!"

"Good, then we don't have much time before Mrs. Weasley finishes heating up dinner. Can you get a ladder, I think there's one in the garage, and meet me at Mrs. Black's painting in the hall on the other side of the dining room there?"

"Dobby happy to help the great Harry Potter, sir!" And he disappeared with another _pop._

Harry led the others to the painting.

"OH! The shame of it all!" she screeched at the top of her painted lungs. "Mudbloods! Foul blood traitors and a filthy Muggle raised brat the heir to the most noble house of Black! Get out. Get out, you vile. . . ." The rant went on and on as Harry ignored it. Dobby appeared with a ladder and covered his ears. Remus and Moody showed up at the top of the stairs and watched while Harry calmly set up the ladder and took a rag and bucket from Dobby. He poured something into it the bucket and a strong odor started filling the entrance. Dipping the rag in the clear liquid, he rubbed the painting with it, which changed Mrs. Black's stream of invectives into a scream of pain. Under the force of Harry's rubbing, the paint was blurring. The rag picked up the color of the paint, and Harry rinsed it off in the liquid again. He turned down Dobby's offer of help, and continued cleaning the paint off the canvass. More members of the Order were showing up, watching with amused looks as Mrs. Black retreated from the rag. Her language became increasing foul, but her volume decreased as the painting disappeared under the ministrations of the turpentine soaked rag. Remus and Mad-Eye came down the stairs, and a party atmosphere developed in the hall, as the Order members laughed and talked.

Just before he finished, Sirius' mother looked straight at him and said, "I told them it wasn't needed, but now I'm glad they didn't listen. Now it happens! You may have killed me, but I'll get my revenge!" Harry ignored her comments as he had ignored her insults. As the last bit of her face was wiped away, the hall burst into applause.

Everyone was standing in the entranceway watching Harry silence the painting. He noticed Professor McGonagall, Tonks, Charlie, Hestia Jones, Professor Flitwick, and Molly Weasley standing around the group of teenagers, clapping. A movement on the balcony caught his attention and he looked up.

Hestia was the first to follow Harry's gaze. There, on the balcony, coming into view from the hallway that led to the parlor and the stairs to the second level, were Inferi. Pale, lifeless faces, looking neither left nor right, or even at the assembly of people on the ground floor below the balcony, they ambled with a jerky motion. The first one in line had reached the stairs and started down when Harry brought up his wand and Hestia took a breath to scream for the first time.

"_Incendio_!" he yelled, causing the first zombie on the stairs to burst into flames. It kept walking, neither increasing nor decreasing its speed. It did appear to be trying to pat out the fire. The following Inferius paused a moment to let the burning one get a little farther ahead but then started walking again as more bumped up behind it. Professor Flitwick started pushing his way through the crowd towards the front door. Charlie cast a _Reducto _which caused a corpse's chest to explode, but the damage didn't slow it down, either. Molly started screaming, but took no other action.

"_Stupefy_!" shouted Hermione, which seemed to trigger a number of other people who might have been trying to decide on a spell to use that one. Unfortunately, it was the wrong one. The spell didn't affect Inferi.

"_Petrificus__Totalus_!" Harry yelled, remembering the cave where he had first encountered the things. Several of them stiffened, and fell. The one at the top of the stairs fell down the steps, and knocked over the one in front of it, and the burning one. This started a barrage of petrification spells, and soon, all the Inferi in sight were down. More were still coming, though. They stepped on the bodies of the fallen and kept walking. Flitwick had pushed through most of the crowd and reached the bottom of the ladder.

"Mr. Potter, if you would allow me use of the ladder, please," he asked.

Harry nodded and got off. Someone had extinguished the burning body and petrified it. Flitwick climbed the ladder and started a long spell with complicated wand motion. He repeated it again, and again. Professor McGonagall had organized the members in the entranceway. They were letting a group of zombies reach the top of the stairs and petrifying all of them on the balcony at once. The pile of bodies was getting very deep up there.

Molly came to her senses and ordered the teenagers into the dining room. There was a good deal of physical pushing in the order to make them go. Hestia came with them. They set up a defensive stand -- half watching the door to the kitchen stairs, half watching the way to the hall.

Last to be forced in was Harry. He was watching Flitwick and noticing what was happening from the spell. As the charms professor finished the spell and aimed the wand at a petrified Inferius, it would lose its stiffness and gravity would take over. This caused a bit of an avalanche on the steps at one point. Harry tried to mimic the words and wand movement, and after a little coaching from his charms instructor, he felt the spell get cast. Harry had aimed at a walking zombie: it collapsed.

"Very good, Mr. Potter, you've disenchanted the Inferius. Ten points to Gryffindor!" Professor Flitwick said with a smile.

Harry didn't have a chance to help any more but was pushed and dragged into the dining room with his friends.

"Harry!" cried Hermione. "Do you know how they got in? How did they get past the Fidelius?"

"I don't know, Hermione. We'll have to figure that out later."

"Alright, everyone!" Molly yelled at them. "Down to the kitchen. We're taking the floo to the Burrow!"

Nothing they could say would deter her. As they started towards the steps, Harry suddenly stopped.

"Dobby! What happened to Dobby?"

No sooner had he spoken, than the elf appeared in a corner rolled up in a ball, shaking uncontrollably. Harry ran over to him and put an arm around him. Hermione was just a step behind him. She gave the elf a hug.

"Dobby, what's wrong!"

"Bad magic! Bad, bad magic! It hurts Dobby to be near the bad magic! Dobby is frightened. Dobby is so sorry that he ran away instead of helping Harry Potter!" The last came out as a wail, and he uncurled enough to try to hit himself. Both Harry and Hermione stopped him.

"It's alright Dobby. Come with us away from here."

"Harry Potter is great wizard, to protect scared Dobby."

"We were all scared, Dobby. Let's get out of here."

There were no more interruptions as they floo-ed to the Burrow. Harry actually held Dobby in his arms as they used the floo, and both fell as they exited at the Burrow. Harry twisted to avoid crushing the elf.

"Dobby does _not_ like wizard travel," the elf said after he had stopped falling over, dizzy from the experience.

"You and me both, Dobby," Harry told him. Molly got them into the living room and told them to stay put. She disappeared into the kitchen. They heard the floo activate and a minute later it did again. The teens readied their wands, and Harry and Ron approached the door with Hermione and Ginny a little behind. They found Mrs. Weasley dishing up the dinner she had rescued from the kitchen at Grimmauld Place. They sat down and ate. At first only Harry, but like a disease that he spread to his friends, they would take a bite of the food and then look at the fireplace. Soon after finishing dinner the fireplace flared and Charlie showed up.

"We've abandoned the Black place. They're still cleaning up the bodies. I think it was over a hundred and forty at last count, by the way."

"Where did they come from?" several teens asked together.

"We're not sure. We tracked them to the second floor, but no further. Filius found the remains of some linking magic on the portrait. You probably triggered something when you broke the portrait magic. How long it's been there, we can't tell. For all we know, it may have been set up by the old girl herself. But where could they hide a hundred and forty Inferi?"

Harry spoke up quickly. "I know! Our old bedroom. The one Ron and I used last year. I remember we didn't see it when Uncle Vernon was getting his tour. And we couldn't find it earlier when we moved in."

"Why didn't you say anything about it?" Molly asked, her tone one that Harry had heard her use with the twins.

"Except when we were actually looking for it, we didn't think about it."

Ron looked thoughtful while he added, "I remember thinking that we must have mis-remembered where it was and we'd have to look for it tomorrow. But then I didn't remember it again, until Harry mentioned it."

"It must be under a Fidelius charm!" Hermione exclaimed. "But if it is. . . ." her voice trailed off.

Harry continued her thought. "Someone must have done it during the days between Professor Dumbledore's death and when Bill put the Fidelius back on!" Harry finished. "But with the whole house hidden, it doesn't do anyone any good, does it? No one else can get in there to hide, can they?"

"I don't know," Charlie answered. "We'll talk to Professor Flitwick tomorrow. He's our expert until Bill gets back."

"Where will Moody and Remus stay?" Hermione asked.

"Remus said he had someplace he could go, and Moody's being housed at Hogwarts for the moment."

"As long as they have somewhere to go. . . ."

"Meanwhile, we should turn in, we still have training with Remus tomorrow," Harry added. They were tired. The workout in the morning, the shopping, and the attack had left them emotionally and physically exhausted. They turned in.

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Dinner at the other side of Ottery-St. Catchpole was a bit strained. Luna was ready to try to work things out with her father, but it wasn't the sort of thing you did with company around. Her father had told her he would be bringing a co-worker home for dinner. Luna was disappointed she wouldn't get her father to herself that night.

As she had thought about it, she was quite surprised at her own reaction. She had over the years had people who seemed to be friendly with her, but then turned out to be doing it as some sort of "joke." It had hurt her a lot. But she had practiced what her mother had told her and reached the point where what others did to her hardly mattered. She was surprised to find that Harry Potter considered her a friend. She considered herself to be a friend to him, but it was a shock when he invited her to Professor Slughorn's Christmas Party. They had both had a good time, she was sure. She knew _she_ did, and he had told her that he had enjoyed himself after they returned from Christmas break. He still greeted her in a friendly manner when they met, but being in different years and different houses meant that they had limited opportunities to visit. School time was always so busy.

Then came the call for the DA at the end of the year. She never considered not responding, even though her fellow Ravenclaws thought it was a joke. She didn't believe that Harry would joke about things like that, and she had been right. She had some nice conversations with Neville and Hermione while they were visiting in the Hospital Wing. She had helped Neville attend the funeral, and get to the train -- he was still healing up. He was nice, and she liked him. She wondered if it would be anything more?

But her world was really turned upside down on the train ride home, when Harry decided to include them. She understood from talking to his friends that he kept things to himself and had a habit of pushing his friends away in an effort to keep them safe. It was probably too late. No one was safe any more.

She was glad that she had friends to be with in these unsafe times. If she was going to be in danger, she was glad she had the opportunity to fight it and maybe lessen it for others. She couldn't believe they had invited her to train with them! She was going to do everything she could to repay them that kindness. She was feeling things that she hadn't felt since before her mother died. She remembered missing them afterwards, but had lost the feeling over the years, and if asked would have said she didn't miss it.

But now it was back, and she realized she _had_ missed those simple feelings – acceptance and even friendship.

After the grieving period, when her father was so withdrawn and could hardly look at her -- that was a hard time for her -- he had awakened to her needs, and became the loving father she needed. But then she had left for Hogwarts, and she had to admit that he'd been pulling away from her more and more. He still talked to her, but mostly about _The Quibbler_ and its articles. She was very happy when he used her rune puzzle in the paper as it made her feel like a part of his life.

Even the trip to look for Snorkacks two summers ago had been a disappointment to her. Not just the lack of the elusive beasts, but the lack of interaction with her father. He seemed to always be talking to _other_ people, interviewing them, getting their opinions and stories, and ignoring her.

And it had built up slowly over the years. She knew she was missing something, but it seemed like something that wasn't necessary. But in the aftermath of the wedding she absolutely needed him. And he let her down. She hadn't let anyone get close enough to her to let them let her down in a long time, not since those students who pretended to be her friend. But when she needed her father, he wasn't there.

There was a saying, "You don't know what you've lost until it's gone." But it wasn't true. She didn't know what she had lost until she needed it, because she knew now that it had left a long time ago.

The realization came to her amid all the searches she had been doing for the mysterious R.A.B. She had almost lost interest in her research after she had her revelation. She came home and started a nice dinner. She wanted to talk to her father, and let him know how she felt, and try to work on rebuilding their relationship.

But he had fire-called, just to let her know, if she was there, that he was bringing someone home for dinner. She knew most of the people who worked at the _Quibbler _and liked most of them. But she wasn't expecting the person who showed up.

"Hello, dear. This is one of our reporters, Rita Skeeter," her father said as she appeared in the fireplace, close on his heels.

"Oh, hullo," Luna replied, hiding her disappointment.

"Why, hello there. Ruin anyone's life, lately?" Rita answered.

Luna refused to be baited, closed down her emotions, and set another plate. She sat through dinner in silence, ignoring what her father and Skeeter were talking about. Well, she would try again another day. She was tired from her workout that morning and the emotional roller-coaster she had been on during the day. She wasn't interested in talking after Skeeter left, and her father showed no inclination to, either. She went to bed soon after that.

The next morning she was gone before her father got up. She sat with Neville while he had breakfast and worked out with the other five students. Ginny had come, after Remus had talked with Molly. She had spent the previous day with her mother at St. Mungo's, and was glad to have something else to do. Luna noticed that she had hugged Harry, but that Harry hadn't hugged her back, and gently pushed her away. Luna wasn't sure why, but felt happy about that. Ginny had worked hard that day, but Luna thought her enthusiasm didn't substitute for careful aiming. Neither of them had any success with Apparation, and Remus offered to stay around after lunch to continue the lessons. They both agreed.

At lunch time they were joined by Neville's great uncle and aunt. Remus, with many "helpful" interruptions from the teens, described the attack of the previous day. Neville again offered his friends the opportunity to stay at his place. Remus said he might take the offer and would talk about it later. Uncle Alie talked about Inferi and the spells on them; how they weren't very dangerous in themselves but how a group could overwhelm someone, as Harry knew from his encounter in the cave. They asked the Unspeakable about the Fidelius charm on the room the Inferi were in, but he didn't know anything about the spell except general knowledge. He did mention that he had never heard of it used on anything less than a whole building, like Harry's parent's house. Luna asked about Dobby's reaction to the Inferi. Ginny responded sarcastically that they were fine.

Luna either missed the sarcasm, or ignored it. "I know. But it sounds like Harry's elf wasn't. Is he better? I didn't even know you owned a house elf."

"I don't really own Dobby. He's a friend that I hired yesterday to help out at our hideout."

"That's the place Charlie told us about?"

"Yes. It's a big old house that's well protected. We needed help with it, so I hired Dobby. He's a free house elf who's been working at Hogwarts."

"Oh. So you told him how to get there, since it's hidden by a Fidelius charm?"

It would have been funny as Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Remus swung their heads around, looking at the others in shock. No one had told him, or Kreacher, the secret. Yet they appeared at the Fidelius protected Twelve Grimmauld Place.


	13. This is Getting Dangerous

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Many thanks to Kaetti for beta-ing**  
**

**Chapter 13: This is Getting Dangerous**

Everyone spoke at once.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Ron wondered, aloud.

"Where's Dobby now?" Remus asked.

"Elves are immune to the Fidelius!" Algie Croaker exclaimed.

"He might be able to get us into the orphanage!" Hermione cried.

"How did he do it?" Ginny queried.

"Why didn't I notice that before?" Harry berated himself.

"Is this important?" Rosamond Croaker inquired.

"I wonder if House Elves have the same ability as Bollywoggles?" Luna mused.

As her comment was the longest, it continued into the silence that followed everyone else's utterances, which also left everyone looking at her. After the slight pause in the midst of the preceding chaos, Harry turned to Remus.

"Can you get Moody to Headquarters? I'd like to try to figure out what we can do with this. We'll go to the Burrow, get Dobby, and wait for your call."

"Can I come too?" asked Mr. Croaker.

Neville looked a little embarrassed, and looked at Harry. Ron and Hermione did, too.

"I'm sorry, but it's under the Fidelius, and none of us are the secret keepers," Harry told him.

"How about. . . . " he started, but was interrupted by his wife's hand on his arm.

"Let them be, Algie. If none of them are the secret keeper, then it's not their secret. Perhaps you can trade information later. Why don't you go to that library in the Dee Oh Em and find out everything you can about the Fidelius for them."

He looked at his wife, and nodded, resigned. He turned to Harry and said with a smile, "What do you say? I'll tell you what I find out if you tell me what you do."

"That sounds like a good deal. Unless something terrible happens, we'll be back tomorrow, we'll talk after our workout."

They group soon dispersed, the teens heading back to the Burrow and Remus heading to Hogwarts. Algie looked at his wife and asked, "What was that all about?"

"The war against You-Know-Who. Don't worry yourself, dear."

"The war? And I'm not supposed to 'worry myself'?" he asked, in the calm tone that he developed when he knew the answer his wife was going to give wasn't going to be understandable at all, and he could do nothing about it. Of course, she used the same tone with him, when he sometimes talked about what he was doing at work.

"That's right dear. This part is theirs. Support Neville and his friends as best you can. Maybe they'll invite you along later."

"What do you expect to happen, later?"

"I expect Harry Potter to collect a group of people who will follow him when he goes up against You-Know-Who. I _hope _ they will win."

"Me too. Well, I'm off to the library. I shall try to be back in time for tea."

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"Bella."

"Severus."

"Interested in rescuing your husband?"

"And your godson?"

"Yes."

"It won't be easy. Last time we had the help of the Dementors."

"We still have a few."

"Will it be enough?"

"I don't know. But that is the least of our worries. Doing this without permission will get us killed if we don't succeed."

"That's true. I have got to be crazy to follow you."

"That about sums it up. Here's the plan. . . ."

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That morning at the Burrow had been chaotic, Charlie contemplated. He sat in the living room, reading a book, monitoring the fireplace. With Headquarters closed for who knows how long, Diggle had asked that he continue be the contact person, but at the Burrow.

But that morning it had been interesting, as his mum had tried to make breakfast, while trying to keep Dobby out of her kitchen. Every time she turned around he was setting the table, washing a dish or utensil she was using, putting food on the table. Molly was not used to volunteered help. Harry was bad enough. No, she expected to order unenthusiastic workers to help, but only what she needed, when she needed. It was funny, though, when both Dobby and his mum had scolded Harry for taking care of his own dirty dishes.

They had survived breakfast and Molly had gone to St. Mungo's while Harry and company had gone to Neville's. Dobby had busied himself with the laundry. Charlie had to admit that the elf seemed happy to work. He wished he could be doing something better than sitting around.

The fireplace flared green. It was early for the kids to be coming back, but not too early. Just in case, he had his wand trained on the fire as the first body came stumbling out. Ginny caught her balance and didn't fall. She was soon followed by Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and finally Harry, the only one who ended up in a heap on the floor. He picked himself up, grumbling something under his breath. Charlie was a bit alarmed when he saw Neville.

"What happened? Why are you all here?"

"Something has come up. We're going to see if we can reclaim Headquarters," Harry answered. For a few moments there was auditory chaos while everyone tried to tell Charlie what had happened.

By the time Charlie had it sorted out and Dobby had his role in the upcoming activities explained, the fire turned green again, and Remus and Mad Eye appeared.

"According to Dobby," Harry told the new comers, "house elf magic works a bit like Owl magic - they can always find their masters. Whether that helps in this situation or not we'll have to see."

"You're Dobby's master?" Hermione asked, a trace of anger in her voice.

"Ever since the great Harry Potter freed Dobby, Dobby has wanted Harry Potter to be Dobby's master. Now Harry Potter _is _master!"

"But he's paying you, right?" she asked.

"Yes, because Dobby is free! And Dobby chooses Harry Potter to be master because Harry Potter is the bestest wizard in the world!"

Harry looked embarrassed and Hermione smirked at him.

Moody interrupted the teens, "I've talked to just about everyone who can talk to me in the Aurors and among the Unspeakables, and they all tell me the same thing: you can't get past a Fidelius. I didn't tell them about what your Elf did. What they don't know can't come back and haunt us. If there's a Portkey Anchor inside one, then yes, you could portkey to it, but it would have had to be there before the Fidelius was cast. Which is probably the case here. The few I've given more details to say if we can get the so-called Anchor Chain -- the portkey that's attached to the Anchor, we could get inside the hidden room, and probably find the Fidelius runes. Break the runes and we can get the room back. You're sure that one room is the only one the Death Eaters trapped?"

"No, but it's the only one that I can remember being there that we can't find now," Harry answered.

"Portkey anchor?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, an object enchanted with a portkey, that the portkey will take you to. Usually a portkey can only take you to a specific place. But with an anchor, you can move the target location. For a two way portkey, you actually have two anchors. One nasty thing about them, is they can get through a standard anti-portkey ward. You need a special one to stop it. Theoretically, we could get Grimmauld Place back, and be relatively safe. But the wards that will stop an anchored portkey are hellishly tricky. We might not be able to do it until Bill gets back."

"Well, we might as well go to headquarters and see what we can figure out," Harry said. He threw some floo powder into the fireplace before anyone could object, said "Headquarters" and spun away. Dobby popped away a moment later. There was more chaos as everyone else tried to get to the fireplace at the same time. They eventually got it sorted out, and found Harry on the third floor with Dobby in a bedroom.

"I see a closet door there, any others?" Harry asked. Dobby answered in the negative. Harry told his assembled friends, "We've gone through most of the rooms of the house, and the only door that Dobby can see that I can't is on the second floor, next to Hermione's room. We just a few more up here, and the attic, and we'll have searched the whole house for missing rooms or closets."

They quickly finished, and went down to second floor. Dobby pointed to a blank wall where he said that he could see a door. No one else, including Mad Eye, could see it.

"Now what do we do?" Harry wondered.

"Dobby can pop in and check out the room," Hermione suggested.

"And if there's traps in there? Wouldn't do to have our only way into that room be stuck in there," Moody snarled.

"How about he open the door and look in?" Ron suggested.

"Same problem, door could be trapped."

"Why would the door be trapped?" Luna asked. "If no one can see it, unless they have been given the secret, it wouldn't make sense."

"Constant vigilance!"

"Or an excuse not to do anything?" Luna asked. "Dobby, open the door, and lead me in."

"NO!" several voices spoke at the same time.

"I'll go in," said Charlie. "I'm tired of being the Order's receptionist. I'd like to see some action."

"Be careful what you wish for," said Luna.

Charlie and Mad Eye went with Dobby to the blank wall. Dobby held Charlie's hand, who held Moody's. The elf reached out to the wall, and disappeared. For a moment Charlie stood there with his arm out, but hand invisible. Then suddenly, he looked surprised, and appeared to be pulled into the space where they knew the room had to be.

Moody had time for an "Oh, Sh..." before he lost his balance and disappeared from view, too. Harry leaped forward, and felt the wall - he still couldn't find the door.

"Dobby!" he yelled. The house elf appeared beside him, once again curled up and trembling.

"Dobby, you have to help me. Lead us into the room, please. Everyone, grab a hand; Remus, take mine. Dobby, please, take us in there."

Dobby uncurled, but was still reluctant to approach the door.

"You can leave as soon as we're in. Please Dobby, we have to help them."

Dobby nodded, and took Harry's hand. He reached for the wall where Harry had just been feeling, and opened a door. As Harry stepped forward, he passed through some magical barrier, and was in the bedroom. An Inferi grabbed at his arm that was holding Dobby, but Harry moved aside, making sure he didn't let go of Remus. He saw Charlie being choked by a pair of Inferi. He had no time to see anything more, because the Inferius that attacked him was moving at him. Checking that Remus was all the way in, he let go of the werewolf and dove away from the zombie. He whipped out his wand and yelled, "_Petrificus Totalus_!" and stopped the creature. Spinning, he cast it again on one of the zombies holding Charlie, and the other dropped too, caught by a spell from Ron, who had followed Remus in. Remus finished his second casting of the spell, dropping one that was holding Moody. There was a second one already on the floor by Moody.

Harry looked around. There appeared to be only the five in the room. Charlie sat on the bed, rubbing his neck, and coughing, as he tried to fill his lungs beyond their capacity to make up for the lack of air. Remus was kneeling next to Mad Eye. He appeared to be feeling for a pulse. The room was starting to get crowded.

"Oh, no!" Hermione cried. Harry looked at her, but she was looking at Remus. Remus was shaking his head. She rushed over to Moody, calling Harry to help her. She felt for a pulse, and when she didn't feel one, she titled his head back, closed his nose, put her mouth over his, and inflated his lungs twice. She got up, found the spot a hands width above the solar plexus, put one hand over the other, and started CPR.

"1, 2, 3, 4, Harry, get ready to breath for him...10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. Breath!"

Harry, who had only a vague idea of what Hermione was doing, none the less tried to imitate her actions, and did get some air into Moody. After two breaths, Hermione started pumping his chest again.

"Someone, get Pomfrey!" Hermione called, keeping count at the same time. Ginny went running out of the room, and Remus took over from Hermione. They kept it up, switching between the three of them, while Ron and Neville moved the petrified zombies into a corner. Charlie recovered enough to explain that the five Inferi seemed to have been left as guards, and two each attacked him and Moody. While he was talking, Moody coughed, and Hermione and Remus helped him sit up.

"Next time I say say watch for traps on a door, watch for bleedin' traps!" he croaked out. Remus and Ron helped him out of the room, leaving Harry, Charlie, and Luna. They looked around the room, but didn't see anything that was an obvious Portkey Anchor. Luna did find a set of runes in each corner.

"I've never seen runes set like these. But I do recognize them: that's _secret_; Those are _hide_ and _knowledge_; that one's easy, _air_, that's _friend, _and that's _elephant__seal_."

"Huh?" Harry had been looking at the runes as Luna pointed them out, but for the last one he looked at her. She held her dreamy expression for a moment, then laughed out loud.

"Or maybe it's _promise,_" she was able to get out between laughs. Harry and Charlie chuckled with her.

"Harry," she said, as she got control of herself. "How long are we going to be in here?"

"After they get Moody looked after, I assume Remus and the rest will come back. Uh, except they can't get back in, right?"

She nodded. They held hands, and with Harry staying inside the room, Luna stepped outside. She found most of the rest of the group out there, and helped them back inside.

"Moody will be alright. Pomfrey has taken him back to Hogwarts' infirmary. Meanwhile, what do we do about this place?"

Luna pointed out the runes, and Remus felt they should wait for Flitwick or Bill to disenchant them. They used _Mobilicorpus_ to move the bodies outside while Remus contacted Tonks. She arrived with several Aurors, who helped get rid of the zombies.

They floo-ed back to the Burrow. After a mostly quiet supper, people floo-ed back to their own homes, Harry and Hermione staying at the Burrow again.

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The next several days fell into a pattern. The Ministry crew would go to Neville's for training in the morning. A couple of morning Charlie joined them, and once George did. Alister Moody joined a few times, too, and gave help and instruction the days he was there. They would have lunch at Neville's and go their separate ways.

Luna was still looking through the old issues of the _Prophet _for clues to "R.A.B." Hermione was floo-ing to Hogwarts to look through Dumbledore's papers. Remus went with her a few times, but was less curious about the Headmaster's circle of friends, and more diligent in searching for information on Horcruxes. Ron, Ginny, and sometimes Harry, would go to St. Mungo's in the afternoon; their mother insisting upon it. Neville was still receiving instructions from his uncle almost ever afternoon, but he was also getting some time in on his green house, helping with the construction. Remus moved out of where he was staying (he never said where that was), and into a room at the Longbottom manor. Moody, on those days he showed up at training, would take Harry afterwards and portkey away. Later, they found that Harry was training with some Aurors-in-training. Ron was a bit jealous the first time. The second time, Harry spent the night in pain as a very broken leg was mended with Skele-grow. Ron wasn't so anxious or jealous after that. Ron wasn't sure if it was connected, but Harry mentioned that Moody was pretty upset when he heard that Harry had given his real name to the pub owner in Godric's Hollow. Harry admitted that in retrospect he probably shouldn't have done that.

Harry, Moody, Remus, and Algie Croaker spent an afternoon working with Dobby trying to discover the limits of the elves' ability with respect to the Fidelius. With a vow of secrecy from Croaker, Harry got him permitted to Headquarters. Moody wasn't happy, but did say that Croaker had a clean reputation from the people Moody trusted.

Dobby could see the door that no one else could. He could "pop" into it as easily as any other room, and neither magically nor visually did he detect the spell. When it was open, and some part of a person's body passed through the Fidelius field, they too could see the the door and the interior of the room. Further searches of the room didn't reveal anything. Algie examined the runes. They were similar but not exactly the same as the ones that were placed around a structure being hidden by a Fidelius.

Harry pointed to one, "Uh, does that have anything to do with elephant seals?"

Croaker nodded and said, "Good catch. It could be called a variation on that. The Vikings had a saying, "Elephant seals never forget." This modification reflects the longevity of memory, and is used for promise.Glad to see the young people still taking an interest in the old magic."

Harry looked embarrassed, "Actually, Luna figured that out. I don't know runes. I guess she was making a rune pun."

Croaker snickered. He thought they should wait for Bill or Flitwick before trying to disenchant the runes and recover the room.

The next day after the workout, Harry was explaining what they found. As it was just the people in the know, they could talk freely, with a little protective magic. They discussed how Dobby could get them into the orphanage once they found it.

Harry spoke with frustration, "But that's the point, isn't it? Dobby can't get us into the orphanage unless we know where to look for it. We can't take Dobby all over London pointing out every building to him, and asking if he sees one we can't. It would take years, and how do we sneak around London with a house-elf and not draw attention? From the Muggles, if not from Voldemort!"

Ron tried to head off Harry's rant. "Hey, mate. Calm down. The Fidelius just hides the address. There has to be something that tells us what part of London it's in. We just have to keep digging."

"Ron," Hermione said, with her _that's a stupid suggestion_ voice. "The Fidelius will stop anyone from remembering where it was. Harry's right, we stuck." She looked at her food gloomily.

"No, Ron's right. When I was being driven to Headquarters, I could get us to the neighborhood, even though Bill cast the Fidelius while I was on the way. Once there, I couldn't remember where the house was, or even see it, but I got close..." his voice faded.

"So what we need," Luna continued, "is to ask someone who used to live or work there."

"How do we do that?" Ginny asked.

"There must be records!" Hermione spoke rapidly. "We can go to City Hall and see if they can get us a list of people who used to live there."

"Let's go this afternoon," Luna suggested. "I am so tired of the Prophet's basement."

Hermione nodded. "I can do with some time away from Professor Dumbledore's papers. I read a fascinating one yesterday where he definitely proved his fallibility. He was arguing with Godel on the incompleteness theory, and totally missing the whole point."

"Harry," Ron asked, "want to come with us to St. Mungo's? Mum thinks it will be real soon."

Harry nodded. They soon floo-ed to their respective spots, leaving Neville with his great uncle for another round of tutoring on the business of farming and running a manor.

"Neville," Croaker said, "I want you to know that I'll help you any way I can. I know you're training to fight the Death Eaters, and I want you to know I'll help."

"Thanks, Uncle Algie. If we need you, we'll ask."

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"The Master should be told," Pettigrew whined.

"Where's your effing Gryffindor courage, Wormtail?" Bellatrix mocked. "The Master rewards those who further his cause with initiative."

They were not far from the North Sea wharf where the only boat that could reach Azkaban was being guarded. Wormtail looked around the small group of Death Eaters, and saw no one willing to back him up. It was always like this. He was bullied into doing things he didn't want to do. The fame and power he had been promised after school hadn't materialized. He was still low rat in the pecking order. Somehow, someway he would get his revenge. The simmering hate that he used to have against James and Sirius now burned against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. What was even more humiliating was that Voldemort knew it, but considered it worthless. He considered Wormtail worthless, even after all he had done for the Dark Lord! No, his hate would be assuaged. He would get his revenge one day!

"It's time. Get going."

Snape, too, mocked his hate. Yes, he would get them all. But it had to be done delicately. There had to be no chance that he would be caught. He concentrated, and turned into a rat. Those years with the Weasleys were the best years of his life. He looked at his silver paw. Even that was gone now, he could never be just a rat again.

He grasped the portkey anchor in his mouth, and headed towards the Azkaban boat.

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Harry sat in what had become known as the Dementor Ward. It was, frankly, boring. There had been other dementor attacks, before and after the Wedding, and there were about fifty bodies on beds, slowly dying. When the staff knew that a family member was coming to visit, they moved the patient closer to the door, and left more room about the bed. Both times that Harry had been here there were about six other patients being visited. Harry had been there for about an hour. He wondered how Mrs. Weasley could do it, sitting there all day. George wasn't even there. Harry found out he went back to the shop for the first time today. Harry mumbled about being back in a minute, and got up to stretch his legs. He headed out the door of the ward.

Down the hall was a water fountain. He met a man he had seen in the ward. The man must have noticed him, too, and smiled at him, and said, "Doing alright, son?"

Harry sighed, and answered, "Yes."

"It's sad, and it's cruel, but I don't know what else they can do for them. It's almost worst for us." He too sighed. "Someone from your family in there? I'm visiting my wife. It just doesn't seem right to leave her alone, even though I know she's not there."

"My best mate's brother and father," Harry answered. "Can I ask you a question? What were you doing in there?"

He chuckled, and brought out something from his pocket. "You mean with these? It's and old, meditative prayer called the Rosary. You assign your body the task of repeating a prayer over and over, and let your mind reflect on the story behind the prayer. The beads are part of body part - giving your hands something to do, as well as being a counting method. It helps relax me, and, of course, prayer is never wasted."

"Does it help your wife?"

"I believe so. It won't wake her up, but I believe that she's in a state where my prayers can help her. As a great Christian once said, 'Prayer doesn't change God, it can only change us.' So my prayers are helping me, too."

"So you think you'll see your wife again. I have a friend who thinks like that."

"Belief in the supernatural is the most natural thing in the world, son. Yes, I believe we be together again. What do you believe?"

"I don't know. I know I've met ghosts, but I've also talked to pictures and a book and they all had some sort of magical, animated version of the original people. Professor Dumbledore said that death was just the next great adventure."

"Never heard it put like that, but I have read that heaven is a very busy place, and God wants courageous people."

"Why does God do this," Harry made a vague gesture to the Dementor Ward.

The man chuckled. "That is one of the two biggest questions that no one has ever answered about God. They're called the Problem of Pain, and the Problem of Evil. Why does an all powerful God allow the innocent to suffer? And why does a good God allow evil? Don't expect an answer from me! Much greater minds than I have wrestled with this question. My own answer for the problem of evil is what I call the Road analogy. God created a road for us to reach him. However, roads go both ways, and to take the road the wrong way is "evil." Money is a useful tool, and can be used to help yourself and others down the road in the right direction. But it can be misused, too, and take you the wrong way on the road. Thus, the saying, 'Love of money is the root of all evil.' I don't believe it is the _root_ of _all_ evil, but it is a very easy way to end up on the path of evil."

"But if it's so easy to use the wrong way, why have it at all?"

"Money is damn useful. I don't think we can go back to bartering for what we want."

"Not just money, but lots of things. Power? Magic?"

"I think it was the same author who said, 'God is a hedonist -- he made millions of things people can do without sinning. To be a sin, it has to be twisted.' Think of a beautiful flower. The most innocent, beautiful thing in the world. How can such a thing lead the wrong way on the road? But imagine someone becoming so obsessed that they would kill someone who hurt the flower? Or that they spend all their time caring, watching, breeding the flower, and let their family go hungry, or ignore their neighbor's need. Should there be no flowers just because some people can use them as an excuse for evil? Just about anything can be used wrong."

"Love?"

"Love is a word that means so many different things. But it can be twisted, too. Twist it one way, and it's lust. Twist it another, and it's obsession. Twist it again, and it's objectification. But love is directing yourself outward for others -- helping, caring, sharing -- and like 'good' itself, it must become something else to be used wrong. Jealousy, stalking, dehumanizing sexuality -- these things are a twisting of love. It's no longer love once it's been twisted."

He held out his hand, "My name is John Hatterson, by the way."

"Harry Potter."

"Pleased to meet you. Shall we go back inside? I'm not really up for a deep theological discussion at the moment. You can introduce me to your friends, and maybe we can talk about our dying loved ones. It can help, you know."

Harry agreed, having seen it a few times recently. They went back inside.

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In early summer, 1945, Tom Marvolo Riddle left the Greater London City Orphanage for the last time. He signed a paper, and the social worker put the paper into his folder, and tried to make small talk with the tall, young man. Riddle just wanted to leave, and did.

Several years later the image of that folder came back to him. He thought about it for quite a while before deciding what to do. He spent more time among the Muggles than he wanted, but he was Slytherin, and did what had to be done to reach his goals. In the end he had placed a warning ward on the folder. And there it waited, quietly for many years.

Then, less than two years before he was resurrected, he felt the spell call him. He was in Romania at the time, and couldn't move fast enough to get to London quickly. He made his way back in his spirit form, and discovered months later that it was Dumbledore. It worried him, but what could the Headmaster really find out about him? That he didn't get along with the other children? That he was never caught doing anything wrong, despite all the allegations? The lack of useful information was the reason he didn't destroy the folder, and the knowledge that someone was researching him could be important. He should have expected Dumbledore to look into it, had he thought about it. The fact that someone else had triggered his ward meant that Dumbledore hadn't shared his information. Voldemort smiled as he looked up from torturing a Muggle. He ordered one of his Death Eaters to kill the man, dropped the anti-Apparition field, and apparated away.

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Harry and Mr. Hatterson re-entered the ward, and Harry did introduce him to the Weasleys. They started talking about their family members and it was was helping. Molly broke down, and was engulfed in a group hug that included not only her children, but Harry and their new friend.

She had mostly finished her sobbing when Harry cried out in pain. He collapsed on the floor, clutching his head, and shuddered. Suddenly he straighted, and actually bent backwards, in the throws of some sort of seizure. His scream of pain stopped when his lungs ran out of air, and he still tried to cry out. He was jerking every few seconds, and even when pulling in a breath, his breathing would be interrupted by the convulsions. Molly, Ron and Ginny tried, to hold him. Ron had never seen Harry do anything like this, even though Harry had woken him many times with his screams. Hatterson ran to get help. A few minutes later healers came rushing in. They were unable to get a calming potion into his mouth, the convulsions causing his jaw to clench, and when he seemed able, he screamed. This seemed to go on another ten minutes, the healers completely baffled. They got him on a gurney, and were quickly rolling him to a room, the Weasleys following closely.

About fifteen minutes after it started, before they could even get him to a room, he stopped moving, and went unconscious. They got him into a room, and he lay there, shaking every few minutes. Over the next few hours the healers kept looking but couldn't find the cause.

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Luna and Hermione waited in a office at one of the government buildings. This was the fourth office they had visited. Hermione was worried at how the Ravenclaw was going to act among the Muggles, but she was pleasantly surprised. Luna had helped Hermione come up with the story they were going to use, and had been completely proper while in the presence of the Muggles. When asked, Luna explained that on her vacations with his father they had learned how to work in the Muggle world, especially with government officials. You just couldn't search out of the way parts of countries without a government permit most of the time.

The two witches walked up to the first official they encountered and gave a story about a school project and wanting to interview people who knew Hermione's great uncle Tom Riddle when he was in the orphanage. So here they were on the fourth floor of a large downtown building, waiting for someone to return from the archives with the information.

Suddenly, Luna looked up, shocked. "Hermione, we have to get out of here, now!" she whispered.

"Why? We finally found the right office, and they're going to help us." But Luna had a death grip on Hermione's arm, and was pulling her out of the room. The lights flickered and dimmed. One of the computers put up a blue screen, several others seemed to just stop working.

"Someone's just cast a powerful spell. We have to get out!"

The lights flickered again. Then again.

"I think you're right. Lets head down the stairs. I don't trust the elevator with the power problems."

As they opened the door to the door to the stairs, they heard the yelling from above and the pounding of footsteps. They also heard a high pitched laugh, and a pair of words that made Hermione's blood run cold.

"_Avada Kedavra_!_ Avada Kedavra_!_ Avada Kedavra_!"

It was followed by more screams. Then an alarm bell started ringing. Suddenly, the building was filled with voices crying "Fire!"

They two young women headed down the steps. It quickly became crowded, and then they heard shouting from below, "The fire door is locked! Head out the main door!" The crowd started moving again. Hermione and Luna reached the ground floor, and were again stopped by the crowd.

"The building's locked! No one can get out! We're all going to die!"

There were more screams from above, and the sounds of explosions. Hermione and Luna were stuck in the stairwell, more people trying to push down from above, but there was no where to go.

Hermione looked panicked. If they were closer to the emergency exit, she might have risked a spell. She could try to Apparate, but Luna didn't know how yet, and she wouldn't leave her friend. She looked at Luna and saw the girl had the same determined look that she had worn in the Department of Mysteries. She looked at the wall beside them.

"Does this look like an exterior wall to you?" she asked, in the same sort of voice you would ask if it was raining.

"It's on the same wall as the emergency exit, so I'd say so. Think a _Reducto_ will get us out of here?"

"Not without alerting You-Know-Who. Lets get to it." They wiggled through the panicked people towards the wall. Since most people wanted to get to the door to the lobby they didn't have that much trouble. Luna reached in her purse and pulled out a box. Inside were two vials. She took one with an iridescent purple liquid in it and poured some on her hand.

"What are those?" Hermione asked, curious, despite their circumstances.

"The other is a headache potion. This is the quasi-locus potion." She had spread it all over her hands.

"Everyone!" Luna suddenly shouted. "Hold hands, it will stay open as long as you hold on to the person ahead of you!" She took Hermione's hand, and said, "Grab someone. Lets go!"

She put her free hand against the wall, and it went right through, as if there was no wall at all. Hermione grabbed the woman next to her, and started through the wall, telling her to hold on to the next person. She went through the wall without feeling a thing, and found herself outside.

Luna kept walking and pulling Hermione away from the building, leading a chain of people. The people following weren't as collected, though, and several were coming through at a time now, causing jams. The chain broke as the woman following Hermione started running away. Hermione noticed people still coming through the wall.

Luna said that as long as they held on to the person going through ahead of them, they'd get through. Seeing no reason to stick around the two walked through the alley and joined the crowd of onlookers at the front of the building. As they were coming out, they noticed one of the "policemen" at the front door had a wand. Hermione wanted to talk to him, but the crowd control wouldn't allow it.

Luna got his attention by yelling, "Hogwarts Alumni!" The wizard looked up, and came over to talk to the waving girl. He pulled them away from the crowd, and they quickly told him that Voldemort was inside killing people. He blanched.

"If You-Know-Who is inside, how did you get away?"

Luna answered, "He started at the top. We used a potion to get out near the emergency exit down there," she pointed. "I'm sure if he knew anyone was from our world, he would have killed them right off.

"I've got to get those people out!"

"Tell the people out here that it's a terrorist attack, and the building might explode. Then put a piece of clay on the door, wave the people away through the window, and cast a blasting charm, they'll think you put some explosive on the door," Hermione suggested.

"Somehow he's locked up the whole building, so you'll need to destroy the door to get the people out," Luna added.

He nodded, and started implementing their plan.

Hermione and Luna quickly moved with the crowd as the police ordered everyone away because of the danger of the building collapsing. The two reached the car, and as Hermione unlocked Luna's door, the younger girl started to shake. Hermione was stunned for a moment, and grabbed her in a hug. Luna started crying.

"I was so scared!"

There was an explosion from down the street in the direction of the building they just escaped from. It sounded like the building was indeed collapsing. Luna shuddered harder, and Hermione also felt a sense of disbelief that they had escaped even though it had been a narrow one. She got Luna calmed down enough to get her into the car, and drove towards Headquarters. From there they floo-ed back to the Burrow, and Hermione put Luna to bed in Ginny's room. She was emotionally exhausted.

As Hermione sat down to wait for the return of the rest of the Weasleys, she realized that they weren't any closer to finding the location of the orphanage. She cursed under her breath as she too fell into an exhausted sleep.


	14. Debriefing

**Chapter 14: Debriefing**

The Prime Minister's fireplace flared, and the other minister came though. Rufus Scrimgeour brushed his robes off, greeted the Prime Minister, and sat down. A minute or so later the bells of Big Ben chimed ten and there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," called the Prime Minister.

Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room, nodded at both ministers, and waved his wand around.

"We're secure, there are no listening spells, Ministers."

"Proceed Mr. Shacklebolt," the Prime Minister ordered.

"Yes, sir. This afternoon around three-fifteen we detected magic from the records building. Magical forensics thinks that the first thing that happened was a variation of the _Colloportus_ spell was used to lock up the whole building. No one had ever heard of doing it to a whole building before..."

"That's a door sealing charm, Minister," Scrimgeour said, answering the PM's confused look.

"You-Know-Who appears to have entered in the basement in one of the record rooms. He killed a half dozen people he saw around, started a fire, and Apparated to the top floor. He put up an anti-Apparation ward. Then he started killing anyone he saw. He must have cast forty or fifty spells over the next 8 minutes, mostly death curses, but a few to torture someone before he killed them. Meanwhile Aurors were Apparating into the area, and discovering that the building was inaccessible.

"Inside the people were panicking. Someone set off the fire alarm. The sprinkler system actually was handling the fire in the basement, but the alarm sent the people trying to escape. The ground floor quickly became wall to wall people.

"About five minutes into the attack two unknown witches got the attention of one of the Aurors trying to get into the building. They informed him that it was You-Know-Who inside, and that the door would have to be destroyed to get the people out. They also came up with the terrorist attack cover story, and a way to keep the Secrecy Law intact while using a blasting charm on the door. However, they themselves had somehow caused a part of the wall to become porous, and let about sixty people actually walk through the wall to escape.

"The police had already started clearing the street when the door was blasted. After about half the people were out of the building, You-Know-Who reached the lobby, and got into a firefight with the Aurors. The Aurors tried to keep him occupied while the the people escaped, but he killed a lot of escaping people, including two Aurors and seven Muggle police. The Apparition wards then fell, and he disappeared. But less than a minute later the building collapsed. He seems to have gone back to the basement, took out a number of support columns with _Reducto _curses, and left.

"The Obliviators have been very busy since then. The hardest to find were the ones who went through the wall. We don't know how many there were, nor could we keep track of them at that time.

"The Obliviators have been to all the known employees who were in the building, and anyone they can remember talking to shortly before the attack. Luckily it was over so fast, no one seems to have recorded it.

"There were probably over a hundred civilians killed in the attack. The whole thing took about twelve to fifteen minutes."

"What was the goal of this all? You say he's not a terrorist in the normal sense. He wants to take over the Wizarding world. Why attack here? What records would he want to destroy?"

Shacklebolt shook his head. "I can't say, sir."

The Minister of Magic seemed to be thinking of something, though. Both the undercover Auror and the Prime Minister looked at him.

"Potter told me that You-Know-Who grew up in a Muggle orphanage. Was he trying to hide that information? Could someone in his ranks have been asking questions that he didn't want answered?"

The Prime Minister couldn't answer those questions, but did pose one of his own. "What about those witches? Could they have brought You-Know-Who there? They escaped, were they working with him? Or working against him? Could they be among his followers who are asking questions? Are there cracks in his ranks?"

"I don't know, Prime Minister, but I intend to find out. But for now we can attribute this to another terrorist attack, and the Secrecy remains unbroken, for the most part. Shaklebolt, good job. Keep me informed of any more developments. Prime Minister, good day."

After Scrimgeour left, the Prime Minister wanted a written, magic-free version of the day's events for his cabinet meeting the next day. Shaklebolt told him it would be ready by morning, and took his leave, too.

The Prime Minister sat in his office and put his head in his hands. He was fighting some sort of supernatural monster, and he had no weapons. Nothing he had heard tonight gave him any confidence that these wizards could deal with the problem.

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A few hours before the meeting between the ministers, the Weasleys and Harry returned to the Burrow. Harry had slept a few hours and woke with a headache that was only partially soothed by the potions he was given. He refused to say what happened, and was examined by numerous healers before his insistence that he was "fine" was accepted. Actually, it never was, but his entreaties to Mrs. Weasley to take him home finally bore fruit.

They got back to the Burrow around eight to find Hermione sleeping on the couch in the living room. The witch was startled that it was so late, and didn't know when she had fallen asleep. She raced upstairs to check on Luna.

Shortly thereafter everyone gathered around the table and shared stories. At first all Harry would say was that his pain was caused by Voldemort. Hermione related the events at the records building, and deduced that Voldemort's killing curses were the cause of Harry's pain. Harry only nodded.

Mrs. Weasley fed everyone. She insisted that Luna stay the night after what happened. She also contacted Professor McGonagall and Mad Eye, and they soon showed up at the house. Molly and Hermione filled the two Order members in on what happened that day. Neither Harry nor Luna wanted to talk about it. The two adults left after hearing the story. Soon everyone was in bed except Harry, Hermione, and Luna. They sat quietly in the living room, listening to the frogs peeping and the insects buzzing outside the screens of the open windows.

Luna broke the silence. "Harry, how are you really? I know the Cruciatus curse hurts. And obviously the killing curse does, too. But Voldemort must use them a lot more often than we've seen you affected by them. Are there times when they don't hurt?"

"No, but this is the first time that I know of that he's used the killing curse, since the link became stronger under Snape's 'instructionsand his possession of me. I think he usually lets his Death Eaters do the killing these days. He still uses the Cruciatus, but less often, now, I think. I don't know if he's getting tired of it, or. . . ." His voice dropped off. The girls looked at him, but didn't interrupt. He began talking again. "During the day, if I remember to practice my Occlumency, the pain is lessened. I think I'm getting better with it, because the pain is very mild now, and sometimes doesn't even wake me up if I'm sleeping. I still end up with a killer headache, though."

"Did you forget to use Occlumency today?" Luna asked.

"No, I did the exercises. But the killing curse seems to have broken right though my defenses. And the more he cast, the more open the connection between us got. I got the impression he was among the Muggles. But the other thing I think I noticed was that he might have been feeling the pain he was causing me, to a lesser extent. He certainly wasn't writhing on the floor in pain, but he could definitely feel it. And I'm pretty sure his pain increased as the link became more open. So even though I was in pain, I was trying to block my mind. I think I succeeded. I don't think he knew it was _me_ that was hurting him."

Eventually the rest of the household went to bed. Luna and Harry stayed up watching the fire. It was a warm night, but Harry found the flames relaxing, and assumed that Luna did too. They talked a little about her day, and Harry praised her for saving so many people. After a while the fire started dying, and Luna stood up.

"Thank you for sitting with me, Harry. You were a great help."

"All I did was sit here and listen when you talked."

"That's what I needed. Good night. You should get some rest, too."

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Voldemort sat alone in the room. He wished to see no one. This should have been a triumphant day for him. He walked among the Muggles like a god, killing with impunity. But something went wrong. Something was seriously wrong.

It started as a mild headache with the first death. He loved inflicting pain, hated being in pain, and had a high pain threshold. But with each killing curse he cast, he had to admit that the pain got worse.

He was a Slytherin, of course, in blood as well as temperament. The sorting hat, those many years ago, had offered to put him in Ravenclaw, though. But being intelligent didn't mean you couldn't be stupid. In fact he was falling to the trap that many successful people fall into: he had reached his position with correct choices, so much so that he no longer considered the fact that he might be wrong. The practical upshot was that he couldn't face the fact that his curses were hurting him.

"Get me Snape," he ordered. The unlucky Death Eater bowed and rushed from the room.

Later, when he punished Snape for making him wait so long for the potion master to show up and for coming up with the Azkaban plan without informing him, he would use the pain curse for the shortest time Snape had even known him to do so.

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The next morning the Burrow was a quiet place. Harry had had a restless sleep. His Occlumency shields had mostly protected him from Voldemort expressing disappointment with Snape for not being available when he was called. Luna had spent the night, and seemed better, if quiet, the next morning. Hermione was puzzling over the fact that there seemed to no way to find the orphanage. Ron was trying to be attentive to Hermione after her brush with danger yesterday. And Ginny was being sullen about Harry's refusal to be her boyfriend. They were mostly through breakfast when Harry spoke up.

"Tomorrow is Neville's birthday. I need to go shopping to get him something later. Anyone else need to get him a present?"

Mrs. Weasley tried to veto the idea, but Hermione and Ron played the adult card, Harry refused to give in, and Luna wasn't hers to order around. The only person she could command was Ginny. Harry did placate her by agreeing to stay well away from Diagon Alley. Mrs Weasley relented on Ginny, but insisted that Ginny meet with her at St. Mungo's by two thirty in the afternoon. After breakfast they floo-ed to Neville's for their training.

After lunch the group (minus Neville, but including Remus) floo-ed to Headquarters, and entered Muggle London that way. After shopping for about an hour, Ginny had to go to St. Mungo's. Luna invited Harry back to her house because she wanted to talk to him -- more research into the "power he knows not." Harry agreed (purposefully ignoring the look Ginny gave him) and Ron and Hermione decided to go with Ginny to sit with Arthur and Fred. Remus headed back to Neville's.

Harry spent the next several hours answering Luna's questions about his "adventures." He objected to the term, because they certainly didn't seem fun and adventurous to him when he was going through them. From her questions, Harry knew that she was quite familiar with his activities. She concentrated on his meetings with Voldemort, or the memory of Voldemort in the Chamber of Secrets. After talking for a long time, Harry had a question of his own.

"So, have you figured out what the "power the Dark Lord knows not" is?"

Luna gave a sigh, and looked away from him.

"The first year, besides having friends who helped you through a lot of the puzzles, you defeated him with your blood protection -- the fact that he couldn't touch you with out hurting himself. Second year you had help from Hermione so you knew what Slytherin's monster was; I think you would have been petrified or killed if you didn't know that you shouldn't look at the monster. And Ron helped you get past Lockhart, admittedly with a lot of luck. And once in the fight with the snake you were helped by Fawkes. But you make the killing blow on both the basilisk and the diary.

"Fourth year you fought the resurrected Voldemort. You beat him with a combination of luck, skill, and assistance from the shades of your parents.

"In your fifth year I was with you, but only part of the time, as we fought the Death Eaters. I have to say we beat them with the skills you taught us in the DA, and a good helping of luck. If your friends in the Order. . . ." She stopped mid sentence, and seemed to stare off in space.

"What? What's wrong?" Harry asked, anxiously.

"Harry, there are two things that keep coming up in your fights with Voldemort. Did you notice it?"

Harry thought about her summary of his battles. "Uh, I see that luck is one. I mean, if Dobby hadn't tried to stop me from going to Hogwarts, then Ron and I wouldn't have taken his father's car, who luckily had enchanted it so it could get us there, and Ron wouldn't have broken his wand, which backfired when Lockhart tried to stop us. And we wouldn't have crashed, and the car "ran" away, only to rescue us from the spiders later. That is such an unlikely set of coincidences, I find it hard to believe, and it happened to me!

"And fifth year, if we hadn't met, at least in the DA, you wouldn't have been with us when I broke into Umbridge's office and got captured, and you got us to the Ministry by noticing the Thestrals, and kept Ron and Ginny alive, and helped keep the Death Eaters busy until the Order did arrive. Another unbelievable set of coincidences. Are you saying that it's my luck that the power Voldemort knows not?"

She shook her head. "No. If you look at any event in your life, the way you got there is filled with such specific actions, choices, and random occurrences, that when you think about it, it seems totally unbelievable that all the necessary events took place, or else that we're the playthings of luck or whoever throws the cosmic dice. Luck is great, but there's another common factor in all your encounters. Of course you might as well say that stubbornness is the power; your incredible refusal to give give up even while facing the Dark Lord! But I still think it's something else."

Harry thought for a moment, then shook his head. "What?" he asked.

"I'm tempted to say Ron and Hermione, but that's not quite true. You didn't get through any of these events without help from your friends and loved ones. And if you accept that "friendship" is a form of "love" then you can say that "love" is the power that the Dark Lord knows not; but it's not a power that can be "used." That was always my problem with Dumbledore's statement that it's "love." It can't be used, it can only be given. We gave ourselves to help you. You helped train us, true, so it is an exchange of love, but it's not a commercial transaction. You freely gave your knowledge and time to us, and we freely gave our support when you went to the Ministry. And your friends from the Order freely gave their help. Nobody was used! It was love!"

"What about in the graveyard?"

"You had magical, one could almost say _supernatural_, help there. Your parents helped. Of course, I wouldn't count on that sort of thing happening again."

Harry stared at her for a moment, and then turned away, shaking his head.

"What's the matter, Harry?"

"Ron -- attacked by the brain monsters, almost _Obliviated, _ knocked out by a giant chess set; Hermione -- petrified, sliced by that spell; you -- knocked out; Neville -- with a broken nose; Cedric -- dead! Sirius -- dead! Dumbledore -- dead! I don't want to lose anyone else! I don't want any of you hurt!

"And you're telling me that I need to lead you into danger again? That my friends are the unknown power? I can't accept that!"

"We're already in danger. And we don't want you facing danger any more than you want us to. And not by yourself -- not if we can help! Accept us. We're going to try to help you anyway. And with the training we're getting, we're not going to be helpless. Accept us graciously. If it helps, think of our assistance as just another lucky coincidence that would make a bad story," she finished with a smile.

Harry chuckled.

"What's funny?"

"Hermione would get bossy telling me that. Ron would badger me, insisting over and over that I had to have help. You smile. I like your way of persuasion better."

She smiled bigger, and invited him to dinner.

"Only if you let me ask _you_ questions," he responded.

"What would you want to ask me?"

"Tell me about your travels. Until a few weeks ago I had never been anywhere except Surrey, London, and around Hogwarts. You went to Sweden, and have been other places. Tell me about them."

She laughed, and started talking. She spoke a little about the failed search for the elusive Crumpled-Horned Snorkacks, but mostly about the country and people they met. She talked about a trip to Greece she took with her parents when she met a hamadryad. She laughed at the good natured fight her parents had, because her father couldn't keep his eyes from wandering over the naked nymph. She sighed.

"That was the summer before my mum died."

"I'm sorry, Luna. I didn't mean to make you sad."

"It's alright, Harry. I still miss her, but I do like to remember the happy times. Even as she was dying, she gave me this necklace to help remember the happy times. She told me to always keep it safe."

She held her infamous butterbeer cork necklace up, and she did smile, although it was a sad smile.

She gave Harry a real smile, and said, "I wouldn't be the witch I am today if she hadn't been who she was. It's sad we had so little time, but I'm happy for the time we did have."

As they were finishing up dinner, Harry asked, "How is your other research going?"

Luna lost the smile that had graced her most of the dinner. "Slow. I was able to go through all _The Quibbler's _issues of the 70's and early 80's, but that's just a once a week newspaper. It's taking a lot longer looking through _The Prophet,_ as it is printed every day. The best possibilities I've found are Robert Anton "Bookie" Bolan who was rumored to be a Death Eater, but he was also rumored to have been killed when he didn't pay some goblins that he owed money to. Then there was Rose Amy Benson, who was a Muggle, and was _Obliviated _in 1973. She had somehow made her way into Diagon Alley and was asking questions that got her discovered by the Aurors. . . ."

"Wait a minute. If she was a Muggle, how could she be R. A. B?"

"Amy Benson was the girl from the orphanage that Riddle tortured. I know it's not very likely, but her initials did fit, and she would know where the cave was."

"Oh. I never thought of her. Anyone else?"

"Your godfather's brother, Regulus Black."

Harry stared at her, wide eyed. "I don't believe it!" he whispered, excitedly.

"It is rather hard to believe, from what you've told me about Sirius Black. That's why I'm still looking."

"No, I mean I don't believe that we've been in the house where he probably hid the locket and never knew it! We have to check it out!"

"You spent half of the summer before fifth year there. Did you see the locket?"

That calmed Harry. "Uh, no. But it's a big house, and there are lots of rooms that I don't think we. . . ." Luna waited patiently for Harry to continue.

"I did see it. I don't believe it! We had it in our hands and I have no idea what we did with it, but someone does! Thank you, Luna! Thank you!"

Harry grabbed Luna in a hug, kissed her on the cheek, and hurried to the fireplace. He called out "The Burrow" and disappeared.

Once there he tossed some floo powder into the fire, and yelled out, "Remus Lupin, at Longbottom Manor!" He turned and yelled at the rest of the house, "Ron! Ginny! Hermione! Mrs. Weasley!" Turning back to the fireplace, he saw the burning head of Remus.

"What's up, Harry?" he asked.

"Remus, get to headquarters right away. I'll meet you there with the Weasleys. I think I know where one of the you-know-whats is."

"Good, I was afraid something was wrong. I'll see you there."

Weasleys were entering the room.

"Mrs. Weasley! Two summers ago, we were cleaning out Headquarters. We were getting rid of cursed treasures, and I seem to recall a golden locket that we couldn't open. Do you know what happened to it?"

Molly stared at him, as if he were speaking another language. Harry noticed Ginny and Hermione -- they were crying. Ron didn't look too good, either.

"What happened? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Harry," Hermione said in a low voice. "Mr. Weasley died this afternoon."

Harry felt awful. "Oh. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I. . . ." He didn't seem to be able to say anything else.

"Thank you, Harry," Molly answered. "If you don't mind, I'm going to bed." She turned around and headed towards the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Ron, Ginny. I didn't know."

Ron answered, "It's all right, Harry. It's not like it was unexpected."

"Do you want anything, Harry? Something to eat or anything?" Ginny asked.

"No. No, thank you. I'm fine. Um, I'm going to Grimmauld Place to talk to Remus. He's waiting for me there."

Hermione asked, "Shall we go with you, Harry? Will you need any help?"

"No. I'm just going to talk. It shouldn't be dangerous or exciting. We won't even leave the house."

"You said something about the locket?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, it might be right under our nose at headquarters. Don't worry about it. If we can't find it, you'll help with the search tomorrow. We definitely won't do anything to it tonight if we do find it."

"OK, Harry. We'll see you tomorrow."

Hermione and Ron went towards the parlor. Ginny looked at him, and said, "Can I come?"

"Yes, soon as I let Ron know where you'll be."

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Wormtail slipped past the guards and on to the boat again. He had had to leave to get something to eat. Another day doing nothing but waiting. This was getting ridiculous. Didn't the Aurors ever catch anyone and lock them up in Azkaban any more? He hid in the bilge and settled in for another uncomfortable night. What would happen if he just ran away? Just then, his artificial paw sent a bolt of pain through him. He nodded. It did that every time he thought about running away. He cursed his undisciplined mind for letting such thoughts wander through it.

He had been alone for quite a while now. Snape had been summoned that first day, and Wormtail was later told that Voldemort had been informed of the plan, and it was to go ahead. Snape had been punished for not keeping his master up to date on his plans, but Voldemort had allowed the plan to go forward.

There was nothing else to do but curl up and try to get some sleep. If he ran away--OW!

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Ron told Harry not to keep Ginny out too late which got Ron a surprised look from Hermione. Harry went back to the kitchen and floo-ed to Grimmauld place, followed by Ginny. They came out in the basement kitchen of the house. The room was deserted. They headed upstairs while Harry called out for Remus.

"Up here, Harry!" the werewolf yelled back.

"Remus! We think one of the Horcruxes was in the house when Sirius was cleaning it out."

Harry and Ginny came into the dining room to see Remus and Luna sitting at a table with a small stack of parchment before each of them.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, no warmth in her voice.

"Hullo. Was this a private party? I was just helping Remus try to find the locket," she answered while she continued reading a parchment.

"After we collected all the dark objects we were in a bit of a quandary about what to do with them. We couldn't just throw them out -- many were intrinsically valuable, being made of gold or silver, or objects of art. Anyone coming across them would try to take them, and then we have a Muggle-object incident. We couldn't just sell them -- we would have to declare the spells on them, and we didn't know that. And that would just advertise what they were for the sort of people who bought dark objects.

"So we came to a deal with Gringotts. For a base fee, they would disenchant them, and sell the objects for part of the profit. They came out ahead; the fee was big enough to cover their cost of the curse-breaker, and the percentage of the sales was just icing on the cake, so to speak.

"These," he indicated the papers on the table, "are the inventory of objects, the spells on them, and the sale price. The locket should be listed here. Somewhere."

Harry sat down, followed a moment later by Ginny. They were each handed some parchments, and the "already done" pile was pointed out to them. Harry started reading.

The list was fascinating and horrifying at the same time. There was a crystal wine gobblet that would turn the wine poison when activated; a knife that would put the victim under the _Imperius _and cause them to murder women, cutting out vital organs; the music box that put people to sleep -- it would never wind down so the victims would die of hunger and thirst because they would never awake. But eventually the papers ran out.

"No locket," Harry said as he put the last of his parchments on the pile. Remus and Luna had already finished, and had been taking papers from Harry and Ginny's piles, and now only Ginny had the one she was currently reading left.

"No locket listed here, either. What happened to it?" she asked.

"There's one more possibility," Remus said. " Kreacher was often around taking things he wanted to keep. Perhaps he took it?"

"Let's find out," Harry replied. "Kreacher!" he yelled.

There was a pop, and the ancient house elf appeared.

"What does mu. . ." and he started gasping, then seemed to gain control of himself and continued, "half-blood master want with Kreacher?"

"Kreacher, where are the objects that you rescued from Sirius and the other's cleaning?"

Kreacher seemed to fight with himself for control for a moment, then answered, "In my sleeping room."

"Take us there."

Kreacher took them to a basement closet where they found clothes and pictures all over the place.

"Ha, ha. Master has his little joke. Master has already taken all the gold from Kreacher." He continued under his breath, cursing Harry and the other members of the Order.

"Kreacher, did you take a heavy locket that wouldn't open?"

The house elf reluctantly acknowledged that he had.

"Then what happened to it? Who took it?"

"Probably the smelly one. Stupid peasant. Nothing more than a thief. Not worthy to be wizard," Kreacher muttered.

"Smelly one?" Luna asked.

"Mundungus!" Harry and Remus answered together.

"Kreacher! Go back to Hogwarts and be a useful and obedient house elf there."

"ARRGGG!" the elf screamed, right before popping away.

Harry grumbled, "This is getting as bad as a hunt for the ones that Voldemort hid. Two steps forward and one back! Now we have to talk to Dung! Can we even do that?"

Remus answered, "I don't know if they allow visitors, but somehow we'll have to get in. Well, there's nothing more to do here. You better get home and get some rest. We'll still have some practice tomorrow before Neville's party."

They said their goodnights and floo-ed to their respective homes.

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On the outskirts of the city Scarborough in North Yorkshire the Goodes were relaxing in the parlor watching the tele and talking insultingly about the going on in the show they were watching. Mrs. Goode noticed it first, a cold feeling that seemed to have nothing to do with the warm night. Mr. Goode noticed her shudder, and felt it too. He realized first what was happening. It had been on the tele and the radio for days now, and he was frightened. He picked up the phone and called the police.

"Yes. This is Mr. Goode at 17 Cherry Lane, and I think that terrorist gang is gassing the neighborhood. Yes, right now. Yes, thank you." He looked at his wife, and said, "I'll call Margaret and George, and then we're out of here, get the keys, and wait by the door."

The phone rang before he finished talking. "Hello. Hi, Margaret! Yes, we felt it, too. I'm going to call George the other way, and then go. Thanks. Get out of there."

He called his other neighbor, and let it ring a few times, then hung up. He raced to the door, and he and his wife ran to the car. They got in, noticing a lot of other cars racing along the street. They pulled out, feelings of coldness diminishing as they drove. Obviously they were getting out of the area that the terrorists were gassing. Suddenly, in his headlights, he noticed a figure in dark robes with a hood, and some sort of white mask.

"There's one of the bastards now! Gas us, will you?" he shouted. Ignoring the screams of his wife, he swerved, and hit the figure. His wife grabbed his arm in fear, as he snarled, "There's one Death Eater that won't terrorize anyone else!" They drove on, and would return to their home the next day.

A few minutes earlier their call had been the first to the police, but soon there were dozens. After the second, the desk sergeant called the number they had been given, and gave the information. The Muggle office where that call was received was bare, except for a bank of phones, a lounge area, and a very large map of Britain on a table. The person taking the call from Scarborough ran to the table while waving one of the waiting Aurors over. She put a pin in the map in the western part of Scarborough and the Auror nodded. He Apparated away to a waiting room full of Aurors. Giving them the information, they all headed for the western suburbs of Scarborough. Breaking out brooms, they mounted up and spread out in teams of five. Several teams got into firefights with Death Eaters, and the Aurors weren't using Stunners. The problem with herding Dementors was that you had to surround them everywhere except where you wanted them to go, which meant you needed a lot of herdsmen, but they were wide-spread and more importantly -- alone. As the Aurors flew around the area, they quickly discerned where the edge of the Dementor group was, and from that they could concentrate on spotting the Death Eaters. Once found, they were usually easy to subdue with five to one odds against them. Once the Death Eaters were down, the groups began hunting the Dementors. They were getting very good at this. After a few hours they gave up, no new Dementors had been seen in over half an hour. Their tally was eight Death Eaters captured or killed, and twenty-two Dementors destroyed. There were no Auror casualties. Come the morning, however, the Muggle authorities would find that fifteen people were overcome by the "terrorists' nerve gas," and one terrorist killed by a car.

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Luna woke up in the middle of the night. She knew that she had missed something, and now she remembered. Getting out of bed, she pulled on a bathrobe, and slipped her feet into some slippers, and headed down to the fireplace. She wondered if her father was home? He sometimes stayed at the office all night. If he had tried to call her after dinner, she wasn't there, so she really wasn't worried. She lit a fire, tossed in some floo-powder and announced, "The Burrow."

If times were normal, most people would shut their fireplaces down when they slept. These days, they were mostly restricted, allowing only specified people in at all times. The Order, Luna, and Neville, and various other Weasley friends and family were keyed to have access at any time. Luna's form spun to a stop, and she stepped out of the fireplace. She rushed up the steps to the top level, entering Ron's room. With a "_lumos_" she turned on the light and went to Harry's bed. She shook him.

"Five more minutes. It can't be time for breakfast yet!" he muttered.

"Harry, wake up. It's not breakfast time, but wake up."

Harry rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and slipped on his glasses. "Luna? What are you doing here? What time is it?"

"It's the middle of the night, and I'm here because of what you told me. You said that when you looked at the diary you knew it was a Muggle diary. How did you know? What didn't you tell me?"

"Is that all? I knew because it had the name of the store and the address on the back. Someplace in London, I think."

"Some place like near where the orphanage is hidden?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Yes! Someplace like where we could start the search! But bloody, hell! I can't remember!"

"That's alright. There are ways around that."

"There are?"

"Of course. Lots of ways. Memory potions, recall charms, Pensieve, or easiest of all, just look at the book. You said Mr. Malfoy dropped it after freeing Dobby and before leaving the school."

"Oh, yeah. I gave it back to Dumbledore. I wonder what he did with it."

"Well, we can find it tomorrow. I just knew I couldn't sleep until I had an answer. Thank you." And with that, she got up to leave.

"Luna," Harry began, but he didn't have a chance to finish. He clutched his head and groaned. A small yell escaped him before he clamped his mouth shut. Luna rushed to him and tried to comfort him. He was breathing rapidly through his mouth though his teeth were clenched. Luna moved his hand away from the scar, and put her hand on it. It was very hot. She could only leave her hand on it a moment. Casting a levitation charm on the pitcher of water, she looked around for something to wet. Not wanting to use any of the dirty clothes around her, she shrugged off her bathrobe, bunched some of it up, and poured water over it. She pressed it to his forehead.

Ron was waking up with the activity. He blinked, and looked at Harry and Luna.

"Huh? Harry? Luna? What are you doing?"

"It's Voldemort, Ronald," Luna answered, pressing the cool, damp cloth against Harry's forehead. He was breathing easier.

"It's a trap," he gasped out. "Have to warn them. Next time will be a trap."

"Relax, Harry. It's not happening now, is it? Tonight? Tomorrow?" Luna asked. He shook is head to each question, and she leaned back from him. "Then the best thing would be to go back to bed and take care of it tomorrow. Better now?"

"Yes," he croaked. "Thank you Luna."

"You're welcome." She smiled, stood up, tossed her wet bathrobe over her shoulder, looked around dramatically, and said, "My work here is done." She started walking out of the room.

"Uh, Luna," Ron asked, turning red. "Shouldn't you put on your robe?" The thin nightgown she wore was rather short, and showed that she had long, pale legs.

"Oh, Ronald! You wouldn't want me to put on a wet bathrobe, would you? Good night."

Harry stared at her as she walked out of sight.

"Hello, Harry! Harry! You there?"

"What? Uh, she's rather pretty isn't she? Oh, and she's right. There's no immediate danger. But this will be good! We finally got some something useful from this damn scar! Oh, this is good!"

"What? What's going on?"

"I'll tell you and everyone tomorrow at Neville's. I'm going back to bed. Morning will come pretty early."

He wouldn't answer any of Ron's questions, and soon the red head gave up and extinguished the lights. Harry ordered his mind with his Occlumency exercises, and considered what to do with the information he had received from his connection with the Dark Lord. The next few days were going to be busy, he knew.

As he fell asleep, he thought to himself, "The tide turns. . . ."


	15. Letters from Dumbledore

**AN: **Thanks to my beta Evan Mayerle for assistance in getting this chapter out.

**Chapter 15 Letters from Dumbledore**

Harry's excitement from the discoveries of the previous day was quickly dampened when he saw Mrs. Weasley the next morning and remembered that she had to bury her husband soon. He insisted on making breakfast and thought it was an indication of how she felt that she didn't object. After talking with Ron and Ginny, he floo-ed Professor McGonagall and told her that Arthur had died the previous day. Minerva floo-ed over and promised to help Molly while the children were away. They promised to return after lunch.

Once they reached Longbottom manor, Harry asked Remus to get Tonks there as soon as possible. While they waited for her Harry filled the group in on the previous day's discoveries: the hope that Mundungus Fletcher would be able to tell them where Slytherin's locket is; closing in on the location of the orphanage; and Harry's information from Voldemort. Hermione was scandalized and Ginny was upset that Luna was in his bedroom in the middle of the night. Luna ignored their reactions. Harry started to tell them that he wanted to wait for Tonks so he wouldn't have to repeat himself, but at that moment the Auror (wearing electric blue hair) appeared.

"Whotcha, Harry? Is there a reason for getting me up so early? I've been on the late shifts the last few days."

"Took out a group of Death Eaters and Dementors last night, huh?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. It's almost routine, now. Hey! How'd you know? Read the Muggle papers? But they wouldn't report the Dementors."

"Voldemort told me."

There were a number of "What!"s by various members of the group. Harry just smiled until the noise calmed down.

"Most of you know that Voldemort can hurt me through my curse scar, and I can sense when he's very emotional -- usually mad. However, the link seems to be widening. I'm getting more information now. Last night he was informed that a group of ten Death Eaters herding Dementors were attacked and defeated. . . ."

Tonks interrupted, "Ten? We only accounted for nine."

"One got away and reported. He was punished, and that what's opened the link last night. But Voldemort also realized that this was the third Dementor group that had been attacked. He figured that the ministry was targeting them."

"We have been. We've been getting good information from the Muggle police, so we can respond really quickly," Tonks confirmed.

"Well, now you have to tell your boss that a spy in Voldemort's camp said that the next time a Dementor group goes out there are going to be four or five times the number of Death Eaters because Voldemort wants to turn the tables on the Aurors. And it will happen in Kendal on August 18th."

"Why the business with the spy?" Hermione asked.

Tonks answered, "_You_ know Harry has this connection, but not everyone does, and we don't want certain people finding out. Like You-Know-Who."

"Oh. Why Kendal? Why the eighteenth?"

Remus answered one of the questions. "August 18th is a full moon. I bet he's going to use werewolves in the battle."

Harry answered the other question, "Kendal isn't that far from Little Hangleton, so it won't take them long to get the Dementors there."

Harry really didn't have anything more to tell Tonks, but she asked numerous questions just to make sure she had all the information. She thanked Harry and promised him a medal once the war was over. She then headed off.

The Ministry group practiced their Appartition for about an hour, then broke for a party. Neville, in deference to Ron and Ginny's loss, was willing to forgo the party, but the Weasleys insisted. Neville's great aunt and uncle joined them, and Fritz the cook had baked a cake. They shared presents and spent a relaxing morning, finishing up with an early lunch. Neville was going to the Ministry that afternoon with his great uncle Algie to get his Apparition license. Harry told Remus that he wanted to go to the Ministry the next morning, rather than have a training session. He wanted to get the test over with sooner, and get whatever Dumbledore had left for him.

Then the group floo-ed back to the Burrow.

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When the group arrived at the Burrow, it was as if there was another party going on. The parlor was filled with with people who Harry recognized as Order members, as well as a few others that he seemed to recall Mr. Weasley pointing out at the World Cup a few years back. Professor McGonagall saw them arrive, and came over.

"Good, you're here earlier than expected. Get cleaned up and in formal robes." She consulted a pocket watch, "The funeral is in 45 minutes."

They stared at her for a moment, and started to move.

Luna said, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. . . . Oh, that's right, we're not meeting tomorrow. I'll see you Friday then." She turned back to the fireplace.

Harry said, "Wait, Luna. Go get changed and come back. People shouldn't be alone more than they have to now-a-days. You knew Mr. Weasley, too."

"Not very well. . . ."

"Come back anyway."

McGonagall added, "Yes, dear, Mr. Potter's correct. If there's no one at your home, you should spend more time with friends. Get ready, and come back."

Luna nodded, and floo-ed away. She was barely gone from the fireplace when another figure appeared. A tall, old man, wearing somewhat worn dress robes stepped out.

"Ah, Mr. Perkins! How good of you to come," McGonagall said.

"Thank you for the invite. You don't work with someone for as long as I have and not pay your last respects." Harry headed upstairs.

The funeral was a simple affair, chairs set up in the graveyard, and a speaker, who Harry thought was not inspiring at all. He magically lowered the coffin into the hole, and caused the dirt to cover it. There were a number of Aurors around. Tonks was there as a mourner, not as an Auror. When Harry mentioned their style of dress to her, she told him they had set up temporary anti-Muggle wards around the place. After the funeral about half of the people went back to the Burrow, and Harry (and Ron, to mixed feelings of sadness and delight) found that many people had brought food to share, and a big buffet was soon set up in the kitchen. Someone had tried to put out a bottle of Firewiskey to share, but Mrs. Weasley wouldn't allow it.

Percy was there with Penelope Clearwater. Harry had a quiet conversation with both of them, but it was all small talk. Percy was given the afternoon off by the Minister himself, who sent his regrets that he couldn't be there in person. Charlie and George were there, but George disappeared back to St. Mungo's after the burial. Charlie was still on what he called "secretary duty" -- answering the floo, and passing messages. He asked Harry if he would mind if he joined them some mornings, just to get out and do something. Harry replied he could join any time.

The most unexpected guests were Bill and Fleur, who had cut their honeymoon short by a few days. Bill figured they would spend the next few days traveling between England and France, mourning with both families. Harry took Bill aside and filled him in on the Fidelius protected room at Headquarters. He thought he could get away that evening and check it out.

Ginny was able to avoid Fleur, but at the cost of avoiding Bill, too. She also steered clear of Luna, although she saw the blond laughing a few times amidst groups of people. She spent some time with Neville, who showed up after passing his Apparition Test. But she really wasn't good company, and Neville eventually went to hang out with Hermione and Ron. Towards the middle of the afternoon, Charlie suggested that Ginny and he keep George company at St. Mungo's. She reluctantly agreed, and they floo-ed over there.

After the guests left, Bill and Harry went to the Black house and checked out the wards on the Inferi room. They had left the door open, and a rope led from the hall into the room, so those outside could get in without needing Dobby, who was busy cleaning up after the party at the moment. Bill was impressed by the house-elves ability to get through the Fidelius charm, and thought it would be useful for getting into the orphanage.

The runes in the room were not trapped. He could find no other magic in the place. Whoever set it up knew that they would not be able to get back to it and obviously thought no one else would get in. However, they were at least a little careful, leaving the five guards.

It took just a few minutes (once he had done his analysis) for Bill to destroy the runes and free the room. Harry was happy that the room was no longer hidden, but would never feel comfortable in it again. They headed back to the Burrow, and Bill and Fleur went back to their own apartment for the night.

Luna had already gone home, as had the rest of the guests. Harry berated himself for not talking to McGonagall about the diary. Well, it wasn't like it was going anywhere.

July 31 dawned overcast, promising rain. Once again Harry was up early, and worked with Dobby (despite his attempts to get Harry out of the kitchen) to make breakfast. Harry noticed that Mrs. Weasley didn't complain about someone else fixing food, and mentioned that to Charlie. He agreed that it wasn't a good sign, but thought they should wait a few days before becoming worried. He was able to get her to agree to monitor the floo for any messages from the Order so he could, as he put it, "be a body guard for Harry."

Hermione, Charlie, Ron, Ginny and Harry floo-ed to the ministry after breakfast. They checked in with the receptionist, and very shortly an apparition examiner came to the lobby and escorted them to an alley near the phone booth that the ministry used.

While Harry and Ron were being given their tests, a group of wizards in Auror robes entered the alley accompanying the Minister of Magic. The minister didn't say anything while Harry and Ron completed the last part of the test -- a long distance Apparate to a location they hadn't been before, but were only given the coordinates. As Harry and Ron returned from a successful Apparition to a park near Shakespeare's house, they found themselves in a firefight. Harry and Ron appeared next to the body of their instructor.

As they appeared, one of the Death Eaters yelled, "He's there!" At the same time Harry Disapparated. Ron jumped out of the way of a spell, and took in the situation.

The alley was about fifteen meters long, wide enough for a lorry to back in, maybe four meters wide. The last three or four meters were wider, perhaps giving the theoretical lorry driver room to unload his truck. The Aurors, as well as the Minister and rest of Harry's party were bunched behind the building in the wider portion of the alley. The Death Eaters were at the entrance, and were keeping the group at the other end pinned down. Ron was the only person out in the open, and leapt towards the rest of the group, in the relative safety of the side of the alley, dodging a number of nasty looking spells as he did so.

As he got there, he found Hermione and Ginny fighting with some of the Aurors.

"We need to get you to safety!" an Auror said, as he finally got a good hold on Ginny. But then nothing happened. "Sir," he addressed the Minister, "They've activated anti-Apparition wards. We're stuck at the moment."

Hermione looked at Ron and said, "Shall we try that thing Harry did to us?"

Ron smiled and nodded. Hermione transfigured various bits of garbage into bludger sized metal balls. After she had a dozen or so, Ron started levitating them into the middle of the alley. Very quickly, Hermione banished them down the alley towards the death eaters.

As the cannon balls were heading towards the Death Eaters, Ron said, "Attack."

Hermione and the Weasleys jumped out, firing curses down the alley. It was a good trick, the Death Eaters were too busy dodging the cannon balls to dodge the curses. However, it didn't matter. Some were hit by the spells (and the Aurors, seeing the plan, had joined in the spell attack), but most were hit and killed when about fifty of the cannon balls fell from the sky on top of them.

As the Aurors carefully approached the downed death eaters, there was an Apparition pop behind them. They spun and pointed their wands at Harry.

"I surrender!" he said, putting up his hands.

"Harry!" several of his friends yelled.

"Did you do that?" Hermione asked, pointing to the carnage at the start of the alley.

"Yes. When I saw we were under attack, I thought I better get out of there before they put a stop to Apparating."

One of the Aurors asked, "How did you know they would do that?"

"They almost always do that. From what I've read, it's one of the first things that Death Eaters do in a confrontation -- stop people from escaping. I Apparated to the top of the building." He pointed at the roof, four stories up.

"Why didn't you go for help?" the Minister wanted to know.

"I wanted to evaluate the situation first. If they had overwhelming forces, I would have. I saw they had about a dozen bunched near the entrance, so I dropped some heavy weights on them."

"A variation on what you did to us in practice," Hermione said.

"Yes. I didn't have to banish them, though. I just let gravity take care of that."

They had reached the Death Eaters, and it was not a pretty sight. Most of them had been crushed by Harry's weights. A few appeared to be unharmed.

"What happened to them?" one of the Aurors asked, pointed at the intact bodies.

"When the weights missed, I just stunned them. They were too busy at the time avoiding your spells to notice me. How's the instructor?"

"Finn took him to St. Mungo's. We probably won't know for a while. He was still alive when they left."

Harry nodded. "That's good. Uh, does this mean we have to take the test again?"

Scrimgeour laughed; it was a deep, rich laugh. "No. If you hadn't passed the last part, he wouldn't have come back so soon. And as you're obviously not splinched, I think you've earned yourselves your Apparition licenses. Congratulations."

The minister and one Auror went into the Ministry with them, and requested that Harry and his friends come to his office. Once there, he summoned Percy and asked him to get Ron and Harry their licenses. The Weasleys greeted each other in a friendly manner. After Percy left, the Auror closed the door.

The minister turned to Hermione an asked, "Excuse me, I don't believe we've met? I'm Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic. And you are?"

"Hermione Granger, sir."

Scrimgeour asked the Auror, "Are you sure she's the one?" The red robed man nodded, and the minister turned back to Hermione.

"Well, Miss Granger, would you mind telling me what you were doing at a Muggle government office during an attack by the Dark Lord himself?"

Hermione, caught off guard, sputtered a moment and looked at Harry.

"She was there researching Tom Riddle, now known as Voldemort."

"And what did you hope to learn there?"

Harry thought quickly. The closer to the truth his answer, the better he thought it would be.

"Dumbledore thought that something in the Dark Lord's past would be instrumental in defeating him; something important, whether an object, or a place, or both; but something important to Voldemort. He had done research into the time between Riddle leaving Hogwarts, and his disappearance after he killed Hepzibah Smith and quit his job at Borgin and Burkes in the '40s. He then disappears for most of 30 years, reappearing as Voldemort to start his reign of terror in the '70s. Hermione was looking for anything the government had on him; we expected only information on his orphanage and early years, but we couldn't be sure. Somehow he must have found out that someone was researching him. I'm just glad she got out alive."

Harry noticed Ginny look up at him suddenly while he was speaking. Her eyes were wide, and she looked, frankly, shocked. She didn't say anything, but seemed to get her emotions under control.

"And the other witch with you?" Scrimgeour asked.

"That was Luna Lovegood, sir."

"And would you mind telling me how you got all those Muggles to walk through a wall? A bunch were talking about homogram walls or some such. Could you fill me in?"

"Well, um, she had a potion she called a Quasilocus Potion, that allows you to walk through walls when you put it on the wall. She said it was made from bollywoggles, and I know it's not in any of our school potion books. Beyond that I don't know anything about it."

Scrimgeour looked at the Auror, who shrugged his shoulders, and then nodded. Scrimgeour nodded back.

"Very well done, then. You and your friend probably saved a lot a people that day.

"Now Harry, I have something for you." He moved a stack of papers on a shelf that were sitting on a cubic wooden box, about six inches long on all sides. A tag attached by some spello-tape said "Harry Potter." The box had a hinge and a simple latch. Harry was a little disappointed. He had hoped that Dumbledore would have given him some books or something on Horcruxes. He felt that the old wizard had left him unprepared to complete the task. And the box didn't look big enough to contain much useful information. He flipped the latch and opened it.

"Well, this is unexpected!" he commented, as he reached in the box and pulled out a metallic, silvery instrument. It was made up of circles of metal with runes stamped into them at various places, and in the middle an arrow shaped bar hinged to move freely up and down and around. He seemed to remember seeing it on a shelf in the headmaster's office. There were some papers beneath it. He put the device on the Minister's desk, and took out the papers. One was a letter, addressed to him. The other appeared to be several parchments of closely written Gothic script. He hated reading Gothic script; the strange, ornamental characters were difficult to read and gave him a headache. He opened the letter, and read it. It was from Dumbledore and dated last August..

_Dear Harry,_

_If you are reading this, I am sorry to say, it means that I did not survive the war. I apologize that I am not there to help you, and hope you are doing well._

_This instrument was given to me as a gift when I became Headmaster of Hogwarts, lo these many a year ago. **The** very nice lady who gave it to me thought that it had been created by Rowena Ravenclaw herself, but my research cannot date it earlier than the seventeenth century. It is an early version of a device similar to the Weasleys' wonderful clock; when attuned to someone, it can give you their state of safety, and in some general way, their whereabouts. However it is difficult to attune and as Headmaster, I had too many children to keep track of; it was not practical. _

_I give it to you as a goal: once you have survived this war, you may have a child of your own, and this device could come in handy._

_I am not big on prophesies, but if you may indulge an old man's whimsy for a moment, I will tell you my **secret** hope. I see you married with a house full of children, playing professional Quidditch as the greatest seeker__of the age. Your friend, Ronald Weasley backing you as **keeper, **and in the VIP box, rooting for you both, **is** Minister of Magic Hermione Granger. Well, I can dream, can't I?_

_Harry, never let the cares of the world get between you and your friends. You have a tendency to push people away when you are in trouble, but your friends, and teachers, yes, even Professor Snape and Professor **Hagrid,**__would do anything in their power to help you. It is not weakness to seek assistance._

_How do you finish up a goodbye letter? All I can say is that it has been a pleasure working with you, and seeing you grow up._

_With affection,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_There are no titles between friends._

A tear leaked from Harry's eye and he read the note. He handed it to Hermione, who let the Weasleys read it. Harry noticed that the instructions, if that was what they were, for the locator were opened, and Scrimgeour appeared to have been looking over them. He smiled at Harry, and folded them up, putting them back in the box. Harry put the device back in it's box, too. He took the letter and started to fold it up.

"May I read it?" the Minister asked.

Harry shrugged, and handed the letter over. Scrimgeour read it quickly and passed it back. "Well, if he was going to give you any advice on the war, that wasn't it."

Harry shrugged again, and turned to go, but then turned back to the Minister.

"Sir? Is it possible to visit Azkaban?"

"What? Why would you want to visit the prison?"

"Mundungus Fletcher, who is in there for theft, stole some heirlooms from the house I inherited from Sirius Black. I'd like to ask him if there are any he hasn't sold yet, and try to recover them."

"I suppose it could be arranged. When would you want to go?"

"Just about any time. We're not doing much this summer, just getting some defense training from a private tutor."

"Yes, I saw the results of your training. Your tutor is good. If you don't mind, I can set it up for tomorrow afternoon."

"That would be fine. My understanding is that we go to the boat dock, and only one boat is enchanted to get to Azkaban?"

"That is correct."

"And if you don't mind, could you keep this quiet. I'm sure that someone leaked the fact that I'd be here today for my Apparition test, and that's why our Death Eater friends showed up."

Scrimgeour looked abashed. "Yes, I'll keep this quiet."

Harry thanked the Minister, and walked out. As they reached the lobby he stopped.

"Well, now that I'm legal, I want to do some Apparating. Charlie, could you take Ginny home? I think I want to go to Hogwarts, and see how this will work out for traveling long distances. Ron, Hermione? You're free to join me."

Ginny protested, but Harry insisted that they would be back for lunch. Ginny gave in, and the trio headed up the elevator to the street. They walked the block or so to get away from the anti-Apparition wards, and travelled to the gates of Hogwarts.

Meanwhile, in the Minister's office the Auror who had been there the whole time and the Minister were deep in conversation.

"So Potter's explanation of the Dumbledore's goals was truthful?"

"Yes, sir. I would say that he was probably holding something back, but there's no way to be sure what that was when using passive Legilimency. At a guess, he knows what he's looking for, just not where to find it. Or else he's discovered where it is, but not what. It could be related to the trip to Azkaban."

The minister mused, "At a guess, I'd say they found some weakness of the Dark Lord, but it isn't enough or isn't complete. Otherwise the Granger girl wouldn't have been still looking. The Weasley girl thought of something, though. I wonder what she figured out?" Getting nothing from his man, the Minister continued, "Did you get a look at the letter?"

"Yes, sir. As he said, a goodbye. A bit rambling, mentioned two of his friends, a few teachers, hopes for the future, things like that. Said the device was a primitive family clock."

"That's what the other papers said, too. Rather complicated ritual to set the locations and person it tracks. Needs some of their blood, too. Not too useful."

"Why did he have you deliver it, sir? What was this all about?"

"The only thing I can think of is that Dumbledore wanted to make sure we knew that he wasn't passing anything useful to Potter."

"And do we know that?"

"No. But I'm pretty sure that we know he didn't pass anything with the box. But we did get some information. Try and find what happened to Tom Riddle after he left working for Borgin and Burkes. Also find out about the murder of Hepzibah Smith, sometime in the '40s. Maybe we can find something that Dumbledore didn't, and maybe trade information with the kid. If he knows the Dark Lord's weakness, I want to know it! Also, I want a complete report on what he says to Fletcher."

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Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way up the road towards Hogwarts.

"Harry," Ron asked, "Is there a reason we're here? Or is this just a bit of what my parents would call teenage foolishness?"

Harry chuckled. "Yes there's a reason. In this note," he brought it out, "did you notice anything special about any of the words?"

Neither Hermione nor Ron did.

"It must be spelled only for me then. There are some words that stood out. They spell "The secret keeper is Hagrid." It sounds like Dumbledore put something under the Fidelius and Hagrid is the man we need to see."

They made their way to Hagrid's hut only to find it empty. The damage from the fire had been repaired, and it looked lived in, just no Hagrid.

"I wish I brought my broomstick," Harry commented. "I could cover more ground while searching."

They went out the back door, and saw Hagrid in the woods about twenty meters away.

"Hagrid!" Harry yelled. Hagrid looked up, and waved, and they saw a unicorn bound away from him. He headed in their direction, and was soon in his house with them, offering tea.

Harry glanced at his friends, and neither of them seemed in the mood for tea, so he got straight to the point. "Hagrid, I received a note from Dumbledore that said you were the secret keeper. What secret, Hagrid?"

Hagrid looked confused for a moment, and then it was like a light bulb had turned on. His face lit up with amazement. "Blimey! 'Arry! I can't believe I forgot. But it were las' summer, before school started, Dumbledore took me and Filius and der professor cast the spell, Flitwick, I mean, an' I were the secret keeper. Den Dumbledore cast a spell, and we couldn't remember unless'n you reminded us of it. And the fool thing worked, too. But o' course it did! Dumbledore always were the greatest wizard, so when he came up with a plan it worked!"

"Yes, Hagrid, but what's the secret?" Harry wanted to yell, but he also had great affection for the grounds keeper, and kept his voice calm.

"Why, 'twere your parent's 'ouse in Godwic's 'Ollow. Dumbledore kept it hidden, waitin' for you, all these years, but las' summer, after his hand were cursed, he wanted someone else to 'old the secret, just in case." Hagrid sniffed. "Turns out, dis were another of his plans that worked." They stayed with Hagrid until he calmed down, got the location from him, then took their leave. They headed for the gates of Hogwarts.

"Why didn't he ever tell me?" Harry asked, upset.

"He couldn't Harry. Dumbledore spelled him so he couldn't tell unless you asked," Ron said.

"No. Why didn't Dumbledore tell me about the house? Why the secrecy?"

Hermione looked at him, and answered, "I think I know part of the reason."

"What?"

"If you had a place of your own, would you have considered the Durlsey's place 'home'? You wouldn't have, and the blood protection would have failed. And the requirement that you have your Apparition license? Without that, you would have to take the Knight Bus or drive, and in either method you could be followed."

"Alright, so he had reasons. Good reasons. I don't have to like it, do I?"

Ron and Hermione saw that he was half joking and laughed. They exited Hogwarts and Apparated to the picnic spot. They looked around, recalling the location that Hagrid had given them, "Harry's house faces the pond at Godric's Hollow."

And there it was. The path they had followed the other day didn't end -- it continued by the side of a large, friendly looking house. There was a covered porch to one side, and a couple of columns holding up a small balcony above the front door. The path led past the left side of the two story house, to a one car, detached garage with a shed on the side. They walked to the front door.

It was unlocked, and they found themselves in a hall. Two arched openings led to the sitting room on the right and to the left, a dining room, with a huge crystal chandelier over a beautiful wooden table. A stairway led up, and an open door ahead of them gave a small view of a kitchen. The living room had a couch, chairs, a baby grand piano, and a cozy fireplace. Two doors led out from the living room -- one straight across from the arched entry, the other at the back of the room. Across from the arch in the dining room was a window looking out across the field to the woods, and towards the back of the house was a closed door, that they figured led to the kitchen. They went into the sitting room.

The door across from the entry led to a solarium -- a small room surrounded by three walls of windows, with flower boxes all around the inside. There was also a door to the front porch.

The door at the back of the living room led to a den.

It could, theoretically, be called a library. There were three chairs in there, and three walls were covered in books shelves from about waist high to the ceiling. The shelves were mahogany as was the desk, and there was window facing the back yard of the house, which also looked wild and overgrown. On the desk was a wooden box.

It was about a foot and a half on a side, and two feet high. It was plain, and the top was hinged. The top did not move as Harry tried to open it. The metal latch on the front had a red button in the middle of it, but no indication of a keyhole or any other opening mechanism. Harry looked at his friends, shrugged, and pushed the button.

"Ow!" Harry jerked his hand away from the box, looking at his finger. There was a drop of blood appearing at the tip. "A pin or something poked me!" he said, as he pressed his thumb to the tiny hole on his index finger.

"Must be some sort of lock that only opens to someone of the right blood?" Hermione wondered, as there came a click from the mechanism. She reached out, and opened the lid. Harry's eyes widened as he saw what was in it, and he started taking things out.

First came Slytherin's ring, smashed, cracked, no longer usable as a ring.

Then came the diary. Harry looked at the back, and the address was still visible.

"Vauxhall Road! That's where the diary came from, and somewhere around there is the orphanage!"

Then came a stack of papers covered in Dumbledore's writing. The first one was a spell that determined if an object was a Horcrux. They took a few minutes to learn the spell, and cast it around. None of the objects (books, chairs, nick-knacks on the shelves) were found to be Horcruxes.

Below that was a multi page list titled "Possible locations." At the top of the list was the name of the orphanage. Most places were listed and crossed out, like "Cottage in W. Düsseldorf where he lived May - Sept, 1968." One crossed off entry, "Cross Keep, Dinu Pass, Romania" had the comment, "Don't ever go there!"

Several pages in, they found "Gaunt Cottage, Little Caledonian" followed by a set of exclamation points. After that was "Riddle House" with the comment, "Currently occupied by Death Eaters."

Beyond that was a time line, starting in 1945, but with lots of gaps, with locations of where Riddle was. He was in Egypt through most of 1953 and 1954. They found that he was working with a Professor Max Krassman while in Düsseldorf during the time he lived in the cottage they had already read about. They looked it over, and set it aside.

Below that were pages of information on relics of the founders. Ravenclaw had a scrying mirror that was know to exist as late at 1820, and a knife in a Gringotts vault in America, owned by a wealthy wizard who was warned of Riddle's possible attempts to get at it. It was not a Horcrux as of fall last year. She also owned a necklace that was stolen from the owner in 1968. Supposedly there was a tracking charm on it that would allow Ravenclaw's husband to find her when she wore it, but the charm, if it ever existed, is unknown.

Gryffindor's known relics were the sword and the sorting hat, neither of them Horcruxes.

Hufflepuff, besides her missing cup, also had a set of combs that were mistakenly believed to be part of the Romanov treasures, were sold by the Soviets for hard currency during the 20's and are currently part of the Croft estate. The owner, having been warned of Voldemort's possible desire for them, had them moved to a secure location. Dumbledore wasn't able to determine the location, but was assured it was protected from magical theft. He hadn't been able to prove to himself that none of them were Horcruxes.

Dumbledore had been unable to find any information on any further relics of Slytherin. There was a note that he hadn't been able to search the Chamber of Secrets, and he hoped to do that this summer after Harry left the Dursley's.

The next items removed from the box were little bottles filled with silvery mist or swirling liquid.

"The memories that he showed me," Harry explained. "If we can get a hold of a pensieve, we could see them again."

Hermione took the final object out of the box. An old, leather bound book. The book had several iron bands around it, locked together. There was a note attached to it, also in Dumbledore's hand. Hermione read it out loud.

_"Harry,_

_"If you are reading this, then I am no longer with you. Here are my notes on where I have searched for the Horcruxes and what I believe they might be. The book is the British Museum's copy of Olaus Wormius' Latin translation of the Alhazred tome. It is one of only five known copies. It is the only book that has the Horcrux detection spell in it. I would suggest you not open it -- it is loaded with Dark Rituals and plays on the mind. Men have been known to go mad from reading it. Besides being stolen, just owning a copy of this book will likely get you time in Azkaban. So, please be careful._

_"I can only hope that these notes will help you with your quest. Good luck, Harry. I am proud of you! I know you can defeat him!_

_"Albus Dumbledore"_

Harry took a big breath and let it out slowly. Ron and Hermione watched him.

"It's more than I expected, but less than I hoped."

Ron asked, "What did you expect?"

"Almost nothing. I didn't think I'd get anything more than he'd already given me. You know, it's rather disappointing when you think about it. He knew the prophecy since before I was born, and never saw fit to teach me anything I would need to fight Voldemort. And even at the end, all he did was give me some memories that probably are less useful than these notes."

Hermione asked, "What did you hope for?"

Harry smiled a little. "The location of one or more Horcrux? Something that will help when I finally meet Voldemort face to face? The mysterious secret weapon the Order was supposedly guarding instead of the stupid prophecy? Instead I get a book that is so evil we're not supposed to use it. Could this be some sort of reverse psychology?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. If you remember Dumbledore's warning first year, it was a real warning."

"I guess. Well, let's put this back, except for the notes, and then I want to look over the rest of my house. We did promise to be back at the Burrow for lunch."

The tour of the rest of the house was an emotional experience for Harry. The house was essentially as his parents left it -- the master bedroom had their clothes in it; the nursery had baby clothes and stuffed animals. There was no bed or crib -- presumably they were destroyed in the attack. Harry didn't break down, but cried a lot when he found a black stuffed dog that was obviously based on Sirius. He didn't do a complete search - most rooms he just glanced in. He said he'd do a more thorough examination when he had more time.

They found another letter from Dumbledore on the mantle over the fireplace in the kitchen (there was another one in the living room) along with a brochure from the Floo department of the Ministry of Magic.

_Harry,_

_This fireplace is hooked into the Floo network. It does not have an address yet. Follow the instructions in the booklet for setting it. _

_Good luck,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry shrugged, and looked through the booklet. "Suggestions for a floo address name?" he asked.

Hermione answered right away, "Godric's Hollow? Potter's Place?"

Harry shook his head. "How about something less obvious. Something almost no one would think of, or even say? 'Voldemort's Downfall'?"

Ron smiled at that. "I can't imagine many people saying that."

Hermione looked a little put out, and said, "It doesn't matter, though, because of the Fidelius, no one can get here unless they first get the address from Hagrid."

"Even, so..." Harry answered, and set the floo address to 'Voldemort's Downfall.'

There was a pot of floo powder on the mantle, Harry lit the fire with his wand, and exclaimed, "I'm legal! I forgot about that! I can do this all day and the Ministry can't do a thing to me!" They laughed at his exuberance, and floo-ed to Ron's house.


	16. Traps and Tribulations

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter, his friends, enemies, and world, are not mine, and I make no claim to them. Thanks to Evan Mayerle for beta-ing this chapter.

**Chapter 16 Traps and Tribulations**

They arrived to a crowded house. The first person Harry saw as he picked himself up from the floor was Oliver Wood.

"Harry! I'm glad you could make it. I'm sorry the first time we see each other again is like this. We're all going to miss him. Ron! I'm so sorry. Hello Hermione."

Before anyone could even say hello back, Charlie appeared besides them and explained what was going on. "Fred died a short time ago. We've organized the funeral as quick as we could -- like Dad's, this would be a prime target for You-Know-Who. Get ready quick, we're waiting for just a few more people."

The Trio hurried upstairs. For the second time in two days Harry was putting on his good robes. Ron seemed a bit out of it. Harry could understand why.

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Snape arrived at the current headquarters of the Dark Lord amid a flurry of activity.

People were Apparating in and being sent to various groups. Those who showed up without their robes on were hastily getting them on. He saw Bella in charge of one of the groups and went over to her.

"What's happening?"

"A spy in the ministry just reported that one of the Weasley boys is being buried, and the lord wants us to give him a good send off. It's another of those instantaneous gatherings -- hoping we won't hear. Well, this time we heard, and _he_ wants us to do something about it. They'll probably have four Aurors. We're going with two teams of twelve. I've got one, and Hayden has the other."

"Hayden? Where's Mulciber?"

"Didn't return from a mission earlier today."

"What mission? What happened?"

"Took eight recruits to attack Potter while he was taking his Apparition Test. Seems the Minister and some Auror bodyguards were also there, and they were all either killed or captured."

"Damn, why's the Minister taking an interest in Potter?"

"Probably similar to why Fudge did -- politics. The fools! Don't they know that while they're playing politics, we're taking over! They will, soon enough."

Snape kept his mind shields up and his opinions to himself. He still had an unbreakable vow to Dumbledore to help defeat the Dark Lord, but the wording was loose enough so he didn't have to put himself in danger when he did it. But if Potter was the one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord he wanted to keep the brat alive, at least until he did his job. Blast it all! He was Slytherin! He shouldn't be in this position! He should have thought before taking irreversible steps, like the Dark Mark, or Dumbledore's vow, or the vow with Narcissa. How did he keep getting into these things?

And Dumbledore's final instruction -- if he had to, go ahead and kill him! What a brilliant plan! Sure it would get him into the Dark Lord's good graces, but what good would that be if no one would listen to him? Everyone on the Light side thought he was Dark. If he had no contact to pass any information to, how would being in the inner circle help?

Snape had always considered himself intelligent. Yet considering his situation and the choices and actions that led to it, he was starting to doubt himself.

"Where were you?" Bellatrix asked.

"The docks. Wormtail says that the boat hasn't left in days. If they captured anyone from this morning, then there should be someone in a day or two. We just have to be patient."

He thought for a moment, and asked, "What about Potter? If our lord sent someone against him this morning, does that mean he's no longer saving Potter for himself? Is it open season on the child?"

Bellatrix Lestrange smiled, and the insanity that lurked behind her eyes ever since her release from Azkaban showed through clearly. "Oh, yes. Our master has informed us that there will be a reward for whoever kills Potter."

Snape smiled. "I think I'll come along. It would be nice to get a chance to finally kill the brat!"

Snape had one good memory. It involved a certain girl he went out with while in Hogwarts. One night they had kissed! It promised the world to the young potions student. But things hadn't worked out. The Marauders had ruined the night, and his date had been hurt in the ensuing spell fight. She had never gone out with him again.

But the memory of that kiss, kept in the darkest corner of his mind, was the door to the rest of the memories that he didn't want the Dark Lord to know. He knew the Dark Lord hated the emotions associated with that memory, and while it looked like that was an almost repressed memory, it was actually a guard. Organizing his mind, he prepared to meet the master he hated. He shoved the hate behind the memory of the kiss.

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Harry stopped on the stairs, causing Ron to run into him.

"What's the matter?"

"Voldemort. He's happy about something. I can't tell what." Harry rubbed his scar. "This is strange. Usually when he's happy I still feel excruciating pain. This isn't so bad. I'm not sure if this is the same kind of happiness that he's had in the past. I'm getting more real emotion, not just pain. I don't know how to describe it."

Hermione, who had come up behind them, said, "Maybe it's that opening of the connection you were talking about. You might not have gotten anything from this in the past, but now you do. Is there anything more you can tell us?"

Harry thought a moment, and shook his head. They went down to the ground floor.

The place was packed with people. It seemed that every Gryffindor for the last five years was there, as well as a number of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. A good portion of the younger members of the Order were there, as was Kingsly Shacklebolt. Hermione went over to talk to him. Harry found himself with Luna Lovegood beside him on one side and Ginny Weasley on the other. There were a lot of adults around that he didn't know. A long rope was being stretched through the crowd. It was a portkey, Harry was told, and would bring the whole group to the cemetery. Harry, being one of the last to get to the ground floor was near one end of the rope. There were a couple of Aurors at the end.

One of them yelled, "Everybody have a hold of the rope? Hang on tight! Activate!" The Auror touched the rope with his wand.

Harry felt the pull behind his navel and the spinning sensation that he hated so much. He almost had a panic attack as his mind flashed back to the events of the Triwizard Tournament. They arrived, and if there weren't so many people around, he might have fallen. He glanced up and saw death.

They had landed next to the Ottery-St. Catchpole church, on a lawn between the church and the cemetery. Across the cemetery were a group of black robed figures with white masks. Some were still turning towards them, but one had already cast a spell that was speeding redly towards them. That one was running at them.

Harry grabbed the wand still in the hand of the Auror, touched the rope, and yelled "Activate!" Once again they were spinning through where ever they go when they use a portkey. They landed in the living room of the Burrow, with people falling over the furniture, yelling and shouting. One voice rose over the rest.

"We got one! We got one!" Harry looked over where the shouting was, and saw Bill and Charlie holding up a figure in a black robe. The Aurors started wading through the crowd to get the captured Death Eater, who Charlie was punching in the stomach every time he tried to get away. Other guests were moving back. Harry moved closer. Someone removed his mask, and lowered the hood, and Harry was looking at Gregory Goyle. The Aurors, grabbed him and put him in handcuffs with anti-Appartation and anti-Portkey spells on them.

Hermione yelled, "Ron didn't come back with us."

Harry felt his blood run cold. He yelled, "Aurors, Order members, and DA members! Grab the rope! Everyone else let go. Wands out! Everyone ready?" George had called out to wait a moment, as he took something out of his pocket. He wrapped his arm around the rope, his hand busy holding whatever he pulled from his pocket. His other hand held his wand, and he nodded. Percy looked unsure for a moment, but saw the rest of his family holding on to the rope, so he grabbed on, and brought out his wand.

Harry called out, "Don't let go of the rope! As soon as Ron is holding on, we come back. The activation word is 'Activate!'" He touched the rope at the same time, and they all felt a pull behind their navel.

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Earlier, Ron was standing between Hermione and Lee Jordan when the Auror called "Activate." As the portkey ended, he was knocked into someone, and they both went down. He automatically let go of the rope, and noticed that the person he was lying on had a black hood. He yelled, just as the other 35 to 40 mourners disappeared. He cursed under his breath and looked around. He was next to the church, amid a pile of Death Eaters. A few were still standing. Someone yelled, "Look out!" and one of them was hit with a stun spell and fell down, to the laughter of his colleagues. If he weren't in so much trouble, he'd have laughed, too. One of the standing Death Eaters aimed his wand and incanted, "_Expelliarmus._" Ron was knocked back, but because he wasn't holding his wand, nothing else happened.

"Well," the one who just cursed him said, "It will be a few minutes before the Aurors arrive. Let's have some fun. _Crucio!"_

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Bellatrix saw the large group of mourners appear across the cemetery. They had thought that they would appear around the grave site. The presider was already killed and his body removed so as to not alarm the rest of the victims. With her group here, and Hayden's group by the church, they would have caught the supporters of the Light in the crossfire.

But they had arrived right on top of the other group. She couldn't use a killing curse -- their own people were there. She sent off a stunner and started running. She had hardly taken five steps before the group disappeared again. She swore, and stopped running. There was still something going on amidst the other group, though. She saw a spell go off, and then there were screams. She wasn't sure if Hayden was punishing the new recruits or if they had a victim after all. Well, whatever the case, they might as well go back to headquarters together. She waited for the group to catch up with her and started walking. Then the unexpected happened.

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The somewhat smaller group appeared where they had a moment ago, but this time they were ready. As soon as they saw a Death Eater, they were stunned. Harry and Ginny hit several before all of the ones next to the church were down. Across the cemetery there was a shout, and spells started heading their way from the other group.

George opened his hand. He held a half dozen gobstone sized spheres. They bore a bas-relief of a woman who seemed to be stamping her foot in rage. He held out his arm, still encircled by the rope, and banished them towards the group in the cemetery.

"Stupefying Sues?" Tonks asked.

"No," George answered, following the banishment with several spells that seemed to be aimed towards the outside of the group -- he was trying to keep them bunched up. "Exploding Eileens."

About that time, several things happened at once.

Shacklebolt yelled, "Aurors! Stay behind. Lupin! Contact the Ministry and send help!"

Hermione yelled, "I've got Ron! Let's go!"

The "Exploding Eileens" arrived at the Death Eaters. Six, powerful _reductor_ curses went off. Two of the exploding spells hit Death Eaters. Neither survived the encounter. Two more hit gravestones. The granite shrapnel took down three more Death Eaters. The other two hit the ground, sending dirt in all directions at a high velocity. The still mobile death eaters scattered.

A green curse came flying across the cemetery at the rescuers. Luna saw it, aimed her wand at a twig on the ground, and cast a spell, transforming it into a wooden rocking chair big enough for a full blooded giant to sit in it. The spell hit the chair, causing it to explode and showered the people with bits of wood.

Harry yelled "Everyone grab on! Three! Two! One! Activate!"

Once again they arrived in the living room of the Burrow. Remus ran to the fireplace, tossed in some floo powder, and called out, "Auror headquarters."

Harry saw that Hermione was getting Ron to sit down. He was still twitching with the after effects of the pain curse. His sigh of relief was interrupted by Mrs. Weasley yelling, "Oh, my Lord! Where are my children! Charlie! Bill! George! Give me that rope!"

Harry jumped up, "Wait! Mrs Weasley! Wait!" Percy also grabbed her in a hug.

"My babies!"

Remus came in. "Molly, there should be some Aurors here momentarily. We need to have that portkey for them."

Harry gave Remus one end of the rope. "Here," he said, "take this to the fireplace, so they can grab it quickly."

Remus spoke to Molly, "Are you sure you want to jump into the middle of a firefight? You might just end up distracting your children, when they need to be concentrating." Molly looked uncertain.

Ron called her, "Mum! Don't go. They'll be alright. Ginny and I need you here."

"I need you too," added Percy.

She made her way over to Ron. About that time the rope disappeared. The Aurors had arrived and used it. Remus, Hestia Jones, and a few other Order members that he had quietly signaled also disappeared with them.

Time seemed to drag while everyone waited. Harry checked with Ron. He was alright physically, but kept shivering while memories of the pain echoed in his head. Harry thanked Ginny for her stun spells and Luna for creating something to block the killing curse.

"Why a rocking chair?" he asked.

"It was the first thing that popped into my head: the mortal enemy of kneazles. I also thought about creating a wall, but wasn't sure if I could do it big enough."

"Why such a big chair?"

"I wanted to make sure it was in the way of the curse. That was a killing curse, wasn't it?"

Harry nodded, "The _Avada Kedavra, _yes. And thank you."

The wait went on forever. However, it couldn't have been more than ten minutes before the rope re-appeared, with the Order members, Tonks, Remus, Kingsley and all three missing Weasleys hanging on.

Molly tried to get up from where she was sitting next to Ron. She had been holding his hand, but now his hand took a tight grip on hers.

"Mum, don't yell at them! Just give them a hug and welcome them home. OK?" he asked, sternly.

Molly looked at him with a shocked expression on her face. "OK?" he asked again. She nodded. Only after that did he let her go. She got up, walked over to her children, and hugged each one without saying a word.

Bill, Charlie, and George were each surrounded by a group of people as they told of the firefight. Remus and Tonks sat down near Ron, and Molly joined them on the couch.

"Not too much to tell. There were only eight still standing when we got there. They were casting killing curses, so Kingsly gave us permission to do the same."

"Oh! Remus!" Molly looked shocked.

"We had eleven Aurors, plus the three members of the Order, plus your three boys. . . . or rather men, against their eight. Four of the Aurors were assigned shield duty to protect the rest from the killing curse. . . . "

"You can't block the killing curse," Hermione interrupted.

"Yes you can. If there's something physically between you and the curse, it can be blocked. The four "shielders" were tasked with transforming or conjuring something to put in the way of the curse. They did pretty good, but we still lost two Aurors. We killed two of them; then they portkeyed away. All together, we killed seven, captured twelve, and six got away."

They let the information sink in for a few moments; then Ron asked, "What about Fred?"

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The rest of the afternoon was a blur in Harry's mind. Remus and Tonks had returned to the cemetery, where the Aurors were still working, and gotten permission to continue with the burial. The mourners used the rope portkey again and held the funeral without an official presider. They had taken turns relating stories about Fred and George, because, as Lee, one of the first people to speak, said, there just weren't any stories of the one that didn't involve the other. People were laughing and crying throughout. At one point, shortly into it, Harry felt Voldemort punishing his supporters for what happened. After a few speakers, Remus got up and lowered Fred's coffin just in case the Dark Lord sent anyone else "to crash the party." Harry knew that Voldemort wasn't going to do that, but refrained from saying anything.

Eventually the Aurors sent them back to the Burrow, and while the stories continued, it wasn't in a single group, and some people went home. Harry was surprised at how many people, DA members and others, offered him help in fighting the Dark Lord.

Evening came and most of the guests were gone except for Fleur (who floo-ed in during the afternoon after attending a funeral in France), Remus, Tonks, Luna and Neville (and Harry and Hermione, who were staying there). Once it was dark, George led the way outside and set off some fireworks. It wasn't an organized display like they had set up for the wedding, but it had some good explosions.

After the fireworks, the group had a quick discussion and decided to take the next morning off. They let Remus know. Harry also said that anyone who wanted was welcome to go to Azkaban with him the next day. Molly tried to protest, but it was more out of habit; she didn't seem to have her heart in it. Everyone except Bill and Fleur and Tonks seemed interested in seeing the famous prison.

Before they went into the house, Luna came up to Harry and kissed him on the cheek, and wished him a happy birthday.

"I'm sorry I don't have your present. The day hadn't quite gone as expected, you know."

"That's quite alright, Luna. I'm glad you were here. And I want to thank you again for saving us from the killing curse."

They went inside, and Luna floo-ed home.

Harry practiced his Occlumency, as he did every night, and had an uninterrupted sleep.

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He wasn't sure how many nights it had been, but Wormtail once again slept just a little above the bilge water in the Azkaban boat. For the umteenth time he wondered if he could run away and live as a rat, and felt once again the pain that the Dark Lord gave him for having those thoughts.

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In Little Whinging, a new recruit to the Dark Lord's army was performing one of the more obscure jobs that the new man had to do. He Apparated to the park he had been shown by the previous new Death Eater, cast a ward detection spell, and was prepared to return to headquarters and get on with other business.

This night the detection spell didn't detect anything.

He went back to headquarters, and reported his finding to the Death Eater in charge, Amycus Carrows. The lumpy looking Death Eater went to the Throne Room and was soon back. He quickly organized a group of ten of Voldemort's followers and they Apparated away. They appeared in the Park a few blocks from Privet Drive and made their way there. They found Number Four and attacked.

The Muggle papers the next day would report the terrorist attack against and empty house, the family who lived there being away for an extended vacation in Australia.

The Dursley's had heeded Harry's warning.

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The next day everyone had gathered at the Burrow by midmorning. Harry had fire-called Moody, and invited him to the Burrow to fill him in on the latest developments.

All the Weasleys except Percy (who was working) were there. Harry showed them the notes that Dumbledore had left, as well as filling them in on the earlier attack the previous day. They decided to look for the orphanage either that evening or tomorrow, depending on how the trip to Azkaban went.

After lunch the six students, Remus, and Charlie (who was taking any opportunity to get out and do something for the cause) floo-ed to Azkaban.

Actually they didn't arrive at Azkaban, but where they expected -- the dock. They filled out some forms, and waited. The boat wasn't there -- a prisoner had been sent to the prison island earlier, and they had to wait for the boat.

While they waited, Ginny got close to Harry and quietly said, "Harry, I've been thinking about something. Yesterday, you told Scrimgeour that we were looking for items important to You-Know-Who."

Harry nodded, wondering where this was going; after all, she knew about the Horcruxes.

"Well, in my first year at Hogwarts, at least twice when I woke up after being possessed I was in the trophy room, looking at Tom Riddle's awards. I just thought you'd like to know."

Harry nodded, and smiled. "That's very good to know, Ginny. We'll check it out as soon as we can. I cannot believe how much we have to do."

The guards were interested in who they were going to visit, and generally made small talk. Azkaban guard wasn't a glamorous post, and there were very few interruptions in the work. The visitors were magically searched, and Remus and Charlie had to leave some enchanted amulets at the dock -- emergency portkeys from the Order. They also had to leave their wands. Harry felt naked without his, and noticed most of the rest of the group felt the same way.

Eventually the boat arrived. Two guards got off, and two more got on, and the eight visitors followed. Harry and company had to sit outside. There was a small cabin where the guards could get out of the breeze, and theoretically the controls were in there. The boat had no visible means of propulsion. It just backed out of the slip, and turned away from land. As it was doing so, there was a small splash from the bow of the boat. A number of them looked, but no one saw the rat swimming under the dock.

The boat trip might have been more interesting if they hadn't gone into a fog bank about fifteen minutes out. One of the guards appeared and explained that it was part of the anti-Muggle protections around the island. The next twenty minutes were cold, damp, and generally unpleasant. Then they reached shore.

The fog was still around them. They could not see much of the island, except barren rocks as they made their way along a path. Suddenly a stone wall appeared out of the fog. They couldn't see much of it, but it left the impression of big, ancient, and unbreachable.

Inside a large, thick, wooden door was a series of rooms set up for the prison administration. They were magically and physically searched. This time they had to empty their pockets; nothing that could be given to a prisoner was allowed. Ginny even had to remove her hair ribbons. A guard was assigned to take them to where they would meet Dung. Any idea that the prison was hospitable dissipated as they left the administrative area. The almost-cheery, brightly lit, wood paneled rooms were left behind and they were in a maze of poorly lit, stone corridors. The room they were led to was bare stone, similar to other rooms they had been in. There were two doors, and what appeared to be a meter high wall running the width of the room. The other door was on the other side. As they got close to the wall, they could see that beyond it was a gap in the floor about two and a half meters wide. The other door was on the other side of the pit. It opened, and Mundungus Fletcher was brought in by another guard.

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Snape paced in the house that previously held Voldemort's throne. The Dark had relocated but as there hadn't been any indication that this house had been detected as a hideout some of the Death Eaters were still using it.

Bellatrix seemed to be practicing wand movements. Another group sat at a table playing cards. Narcissa came over to Snape and started talking in a low voice.

"This isn't how it's supposed to be, is it?"

Snape cast a privacy charm and answered, "I'm sure our Lord would rather not have lost half of his people in the last couple of weeks."

"There's something wrong with him, isn't there? You keep giving him potions."

"He's under a lot of stress. They're headache potions."

"But he's the most powerful wizard in the world, now. He knows more about the Dark Arts than even Grindelwald. With Dumbledore gone there isn't anyone who can stand up to him. Why are we losing?"

"A chain is only as strong as the weakest link."

"Five weakest links? Three sets of Dementor wranglers -- captured. Mulciber's group defeated by Scrimgeour's personal bodyguards. The debacle at the cemetery. And the Aurors are using killing curses, too. If we stay we're going to die."

"We can't escape."

"We might, if _he_ were defeated."

"And how will that happen? As you said, he's the most powerful wizard in the world. He's a potion's master -- there's no way I could slip him anything unhealthy. He's also a master Legilimens. It's almost impossible to lie to him, or harbor any traitorous thoughts in his presence."

"We do. We get away with it."

"We lock them away very, very tightly ; so tightly that we can't even act on them in his presence. For all I know, he knows, and laughs at us."

Narcissa looked frightened. "He can't!"

"No, I don't really believe that. If he knew, we'd be dead."

"Oh, Severus! I want to take my son and go."

"What about Lucius?"

"He'd never go. Even if _he_ were defeated, he'd try to fight on. He'd try to beg, bribe, or steal his way back into power. It won't work this time. The Ministry is fighting us successfully. He'll never change, not even if it destroys his family."

Snape looked at the woman who stared at him, as if he had the power to save her. He sighed, inside, but gave no external indication of any feeling. He noticed someone coming over to them. He dropped the privacy charm.

"Wormtail is here, Professor."

"I'm not your professor any more, Mr. Flint. Get everyone who's going ready." He walked over to the wet, shivering, little wizard.

"It took you long enough."

"I did it as soon as I could. I had to wait until the boat took me over there."

Snape just snorted, and went to where a half dozen Death Eaters were assembled. He raised his hood and placed his mask. The group waited for him, crouched around a large rock on the floor. It was covered with runes, and a piece seemed to be missing from one side. A second piece was broken on the opposite side, but was abutted against the stone, fitting perfectly. Reaching over someone crouching near the stone, he put a finger on it and nodded to another Death Eater. She touched the stone with her wand.

When they picked themselves up after they landed, they were in a stone corridor, the stone they had been touching now matched up with the piece that broken off. The other piece had not come along for the journey -- the other end of the double anchored portkey. They stood, and Bellatrix said, "Follow me. It may take a few turns before we figure out where we are." She headed off, the other Death Eaters following.

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"Mr. William Weasley, Delacour residence."

Bill looked up from the table in the house in Champagne where he was having lunch with his wife's family. He recognized the face in the fireplace.

"Minerva! To what do I owe this call?

"Rumor has it that you're finished with your honeymoon, Bill. Is that true?"

"We're finished with the travelling part. I hope the honeymoon lasts for a long time."

"Be that as it may, I have a little job for you, if you could see a way to take some time. Damnit! I'm starting to sound like Albus! Actually I have a big job and I would appreciate your help, as you seem to be the only one who can do it."

"I'll do what I can. What's the job?"

"It involves Hogwarts and your anti-Dark Mark wards. Whether we win or lose this war, Hogwarts will never again be attacked by Death Eaters!"

"Big order; I go back to work on Monday, but that gives us today and the weekend to at least get started."

"Excellent. I'll see you when you get here."

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"'Arry! Remus! Everybody! It's so good ta see you. Thank ya so much for coming to visit."

"It's not a social call, Dung," Remus said. "We need the stuff from Sirius' house. There's something Dumbledore needed in the stuff you took."

Fletcher looked around like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You ain't still goin' on about that, are ya? It's not as if anyone were usin' it."

Harry was about to answer when Remus put his hand on Harry's chest in a stopping motion. "There was a locket, Dung. The crazy house elf stole it, and you took it from his place. Please tell us where it is, or who you sold it to."

"Well! I never! You came all the way here to grab my stuff. I don't see as we have anything more to discuss, 'entlemen and ladies! I'm going back to my room."

Harry and others were going to answer him but again, a sign from Remus kept them in check.

"Dung, it's for what you and Dumbledore were working on. It's too important for you to play games with. We need it, Dung."

"'Ow much? Wha's it worth to ya?"

"It's worth enough to ask the Minister to get the information out of it. What's wrong with you, Dung? Are you trying to help You-Know-Who?"

"Hey! I never...! Anyway, I got it from that thievin' 'ouse elf, and it weren't even 'is. I ain't sold it or nothin'. It's hidden in my room ov'r da Owl Emporium unda a loose board unda the bed. But ya gotta tap the board with a pattern to get it to open. Three quick then two slow." While he was talking he had been moving closer to his visiters, who also had moved up to the wall. Mungdungus had reached the edge of the pit that stretched across the room, keeping visitors from prisoners. There was no wall on the prisoner side. The bottom of the pit wasn't visible in the torchlight.

Listening to Fletcher, Harry thought Remus must have found something that the thief cared about. Mungdungus continued, "An' let no one ever say that I ever did anythin' to 'elp You-Know-..."

At that point a siren blared. Everyone jumped. Unfortunately, one person in the room was standing next to a hole in the floor, and when he shifted his weight there was nothing to support it. Mungdungus Fletcher gave one yell as he fell, which was terminated in a disgusting thud along with various snapping noises. A guard lit his wand and held it over the pit. Fletcher's twisted body was twelve feet below floor level, his head, arms, and legs in very unnatural positions. Remus pulled his students away from the wall.

The guard who had led them to the visiting room said, "Come on, we need to get back to the entranceway and find out what's going on."

He led them out of the room, and they jogged down a corridor. There was something going on at a cross corridor ahead of them. Harry was sure that he saw someone pushing someone else in a chair. Others were following.

The guard yelled, "Halt!" and the response was a green spell heading down the corridor at them.

Harry, near the guard, pulled him to one side, and yelled at his friends, "Killing curse, to the left wall." He looked at their situation. The hall wasn't that wide -- they were sitting ducks should someone send a few spells down the corridor; there just wasn't enough room to dodge the spells.

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Snape was too busy following Bella and pushing Draco's wheelchair to look around. They had found and released a half dozen Death Eaters that were locked up. The prison was huge, but not that many people were actually in it. Part of that was the fact that most people couldn't stand living with the Dementors, and died of depression after a couple of years. The ones that didn't, usually went insane. After most of the Dementors left, the prisoners were spread out more; they were expecting an attack on the prison, and wanted to make it as hard as they could to get prisoners out. So the raid had netted Voldemort very few of his followers.

Snape ignored someone yelling "Halt" and then heard someone he recognized call out something else. He couldn't be bothered with the words, and he kept running.

Lucius and Narcissa were in the rear of the group. Lucius also recognized the voice that yelled out after Flint sent a killing curse down the cross corridor. He reached the intersection and said, "You go on, I'll take care of Potter."

Flint didn't need any encouragement. They had run into some Dementors, but a couple of the rescue party had the anti-dementor amulets. But he had no desire to encounter one without the amulet. He raced after the others.

Lucius laughed to himself, "Say goodbye, Potter!" he murmured as he readied his wand. He jumped out and started to say, "Avarda..." when he was interrupted by his wife.

"Avarda Kedavra" she said, quickly, casting down the corridor from a position that put her husband between her and Harry's group. Her spell hit, and she was running after the rest of her group when Lucius Malfoy's body hit the floor.

"Hurry!" Bella hissed at her, as she ran past the discarded wheelchair.

"They got Lucius! Just go!" she hissed back, touching the stone. They portkeyed away.

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Harry and company had been hustled back to the entrance area, and put on the boat as quickly as possible. On the way there, their guide asked if they had discovered something that could defeat You-Know-Who.

"Honestly," Harry answered, "we don't know. There's a chance -- a small one, but still a chance -- that it will help. We really can't say anything more than that."

"Well, I won't say anything, and Charlie, he was the one with the prisoner, won't say anything either. I'll make sure of that." They thanked him, and boarded the boat.

The sun was shining when they reached shore, and the guards who gave them back their wands filled them in on who escaped: Rastaban Lestrange, Macnair, Avery, Nott, and Draco. Lucius was killed by a stray spell.

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Back at the Burrow they held a quick meeting. Harry was resolved to go after the locket right away. Everyone volunteered to go with him. Harry thought for a moment.

"Hermione, you know the Horcrux detecting spell. Why don't you, Ginny, and Luna go to Hogwarts and check out the trophy room. We'll go to Fletcher's place and get the locket. I don't think we want eight people there. It's going to look suspicious enough as it is."

"In other words," Ginny said, with some anger in her voice, "you want us out of the way."

"I want us to get things done as fast as possible. We'll come around as soon as we're done there, and then we'll search the Chamber of Secrets. I want everyone for that."

Remus interrupted the impending battle. "Before we do any of that, I want a couple of other people here." He went to the kitchen and they heard him fire-talking with some people. He came back a few minutes later.

"Tonks and Moody will meet us in the Leaky Cauldron in a few minutes. Let's give them a chance to get there."

"That makes us seven. That's rather conspicuous on Diagon Alley these days."

Remus thought for a moment, "We'll go in two groups. The first group will go to Eeylops, and be watchers. The second group will go to the apartment. Charlie, Ron, Moody and I will be in the first group. Tonks, Harry, and Neville will be the second group. Moody will join you when you go upstairs."

During this, Luna walked over to Neville. "Is your great-uncle still at your house, Neville?" she asked.

"No. After my birthday, he and Aunt Rosie went home. We'll still meet at least once a week to discuss the manor, but it's not an everyday thing any more."

"Does he still work for the Department of Mysteries?"

"Yes. Why do you need to know?"

"I'll tell you later. I think we need to get going now." The group was moving towards the fireplace.

Hermione went first, after looking at Ron and Harry and threatening, "You better be careful! Headmistress's office, Hogwarts!" The rest started floo-ing away to either the Leaky Cauldron or Hogwarts.

As Hermione stumbled out of the fireplace she found herself in an empty office. She moved away from the fireplace, brushing herself off, as Ginny came through. A half minute later Luna followed.

"Students! What is that woman thinking allowing students to enter our office when she's not around!"

Hermione looked up and saw an unpleasant man peering down from a painting.

"Really, Phineas. Must you be rude to everyone?"

Hermione spun at the voice, and looked around. She soon found the source of it in a portrait of Albus Dumbledore on the wall. He waved with his left hand and said, "Miss Granger, how good to see you. I do believe that the Headmistress is out by the front gate with your oldest brother, Miss Weasley. Miss Lovegood," he nodded to the last witch.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore. It's good to talk to you. I'm sorry about your death." As she said it, Hermione thought how strange that phrase was.

"Think no more of it. The curse that did this to me," he held up his withered, blackened right hand, "was going to kill me anyway; would have killed me within minutes without the help of Severus. I had almost 12 more months of life, thanks to him."

"You do know that he killed you," Ginny said.

"Oh, yes, but he _had to,_ you see. It was necessary to save Draco. Once Draco killed me, he would have been lost to the Dark Lord. I didn't want that. No one wants that."

Hermione answered, respectfully, "He was captured leading Dementors against the Burrow to kiss the guests at Bill and Fleur's wedding."

"Yes, well, I could only give him the opportunity; alas he didn't make use of it."

Ginny was about to answer, when Hermione put her hand on her shoulder.

"Well, it was nice to speak with you professor," Hermione said, "but we have things to do."

"Come back any time!"

As Hermione tried to get Ginny out of the room, Luna asked, "Is there anything else that might do that, Professor? That thing to your arm? Would a miscast spell?"

He looked at his hand a moment, and shook his head. "I can't imagine a miscast spell doing this, unless it was some sort of anti-growth, or destructive spell."

Luna hurried after the other two young women as they left the office. They made their way to the trophy room and were stopped by the security spells over the cases. They couldn't get in, nor could they cast the spell through the wards.

"Looks like we have to find Professor McGonagall."

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As Harry removed the soot from his clothes magically, he heard a voice he never thought he would ever hear again.

"Harry, my dear boy! How nice to see you."

Harry followed the sound and found himself staring at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Harry. A little magic of Hogwarts. How are you, my boy?"

"I'm fine, sir. Did you have any other ideas on where the rest of the Horcruxes are?"

Dumbledore looked shocked and looked at the rest of the group that had followed through the floo behind him. "Harry! I thought we agreed that you wouldn't tell anyone else about this!"

"We did. But then you died, terminating the agreement. I need help and training to do this, and there isn't any more time to waste. We need to end it soon, while Voldemort has had some setbacks, or he regains strength and we all lose." To the rest of the group he said, "Go ahead. Find the others. I'll see you in the trophy room, and if anyone is up for it, we'll search the Chamber of Secrets."

"You're sure you'll be alright, mate?" Ron asked, glancing between Harry and Dumbledore.

"Yes, I'll be right along."

"I sense that you are angry with me, Harry."

"Yes, I am. You told me at the end of fifth year that there would be no more secrets, yet I find just as many. Why was I forced to live with the Dursleys?"

"For the blood protection. You know that."

"Yet you could have put the Burrow under the Fidelius and I would have been as safe there and happy."

"Your safety is much more important than your happiness."

"You never told me about my house."

"It was necessary to keep you safe."

"And you said you'd train me."

"And I did. . . ."

"You showed me memories. You could have just shown me the notes, it would have taken one session, and I'd know as much as I do now."

"It wouldn't have given you any insight into Tom. . . ."

"And that's going to help me, how? Where's the training to get past the traps and curses he's going to set up around the Horcruxes? Where's the training to defeat him when I've destroyed them all?"

"The power you have. . . ."

"As a wise person told me, you can't _use_ love, because then it isn't _love._ So, even that doesn't help. Goodbye, Professor. I have a psycho to try and out think, although everyone says he was brilliant, and kill, even though he's got fifty years on me in that area."

Harry left the office, ignoring the shouts of Dumbledore's portrait. After the door closed behind him, another voice spoke.

"Feeling better, now that you got that off your chest?"

Harry answered the portrait of Phineas, "Yes I am."

"It's not all about you, you know."

"No, but in this instance it was about pointing out that his goals weren't met by his actions. He made all the decisions, because he kept all the information to himself, so when he screwed up there is no one else to blame. Committees may be slow and annoying, but if you have to convince other people that you're right, you're less likely to overlook something. Now excuse me, I still have a psycho to somehow kill because Dumbledore didn't want to do it."

"The prophecy. . . ."

"Weren't you in the office when he told me that the prophecy doesn't mean anything to him or me because we don't have to believe it? If he didn't really believe it, why didn't he kill Riddle in the Ministry of Magic when they fought? Did he even try? It looked like he was just trying to hold him and taunt him. Well, prophecy or not, Riddle's coming after my friends and we have to do something about it. Notice: "we." This isn't about me."

With that he went to find the rest of his group. It wasn't hard; they were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. McGonagall was with them.

"Hello, Professor," he said.

"Mr. Potter. I hope you didn't give the former headmaster too hard a time. The portrait doesn't seem to do him justice. It seems off, somehow."

Harry shrugged. Dumbledore seemed the same to him.

"Did you check out the award?"

Hermione answered, "Yes. And it's not one."

Harry felt his stomach drop. The ring, the book, the locket, the cup, something of Ravenclaws (or some unknown item of Gryffindor's) and an unknown object; he had been hoping that this would be it.

Hermione went on, "I heard that you were successful at Mundungus' place."

"Yes. We have quite a cache of items from there. But we did get what we were looking for.

"Well, who's up to searching the Chamber?"

Tonks wanted to go home and get some jobs done before she had to work that night. Everyone else said they would, but he noticed Ginny wasn't looking comfortable.

"Charlie and Ginny, did you want to go check up on your mum and George and make sure they're alright?"

Charlie looked disappointed, but Ginny brightened at the suggestion. She did say, with reluctance in her voice, "Are you sure you won't need us?"

"The more eyes the better, but this isn't something that will disappear if we don't completely search it today. If you feel you need to go, then go."

Charlie really reluctantly, and Ginny faking reluctance left. The rest of the group went to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and watched in amazement as the Chamber opened.

"Harry? How are we going to get back up?" Ron asked, looking at the dark hole.

"You're right. Fawkes isn't around to fly us out. Brooms?"

At that point Myrtle showed up.

"What are all you doing in my bathroom? Hello Harry."

"Hi Myrtle. We're going to the Chamber of Secrets. Have you ever been in there?"

"I went down the pipe once after you opened it; but there's no lights, and it was boring floating around in the dark."

"You're welcome to join us."

"I've never been invited to go anyplace before!"

Ron whispered, "Are you sure about this?"

Harry nodded. Ron looked dubious.

Soon they each had a broomstick from the school's supply. Harry conjured a rug to slide down on, warning the rest of the group about the slime on the pipes.

Soon everyone, including Moody who complained loudly about the whole thing, and McGonagall were in the corridor leading towards the Chamber. They carefully magicked the fallen stones out of the way, and reached the snake decorated doors.

Once again, Harry opened them with a Parseltongue command. The Chamber was dark, so Harry tried "lights" in Parseltongue, which also worked.

The skeleton of the snake was there. Rats or other scavengers had stripped it to the bone. Even the smell of decay was gone.

Neville eyed the snake's remains. "Blimey! You killed _that? _Wow."

"I didn't have much choice. It was either kill it or be killed. Kind of like Voldemort."

They spread out and quickly searched the room. There were many pipes off the room, but (with the help of Myrtle who would follow them for a distance) none of them seemed to lead to other rooms or ways out.

Harry helped some with the search, but spent time looking around the room from a spot near the base of the statue of Slytherin.

He looked around and saw Mad-Eye near one wall. He walked over to him.

"Moody, I can tell this place is protected against Appartation. Can you tell if it's protected against portkeys?"

Moody waved his wand around while muttering something, and said, "Aye. Except through these pipes, and the tunnel we came in by, there's no way in."

"Thanks," Harry said, and went back to looking at the statue.

Hermione came over to him.

"What are you thinking, Harry?"

"Riddle's memory opened the statue. I'm trying to remember the words. Something about "Greatest of the founders" and "Slytherin" and "Come out" but I haven't gotten it right."

Luna, who had wandered over, said something that sounded incredibly complex in a language that neither Harry nor Hermione recognized. She finished with pointing her wand at Harry.

"_Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four,_" Harry said, in Parseltongue. The mouth of the statue opened.

"What was that?" Harry asked Luna.

"Something my mum invented. It's sort of the reverse of the fairy spell to make people forget what they're saying. If it's on the tip of your tongue it will help you remember it."

"The fairies have a spell that makes you forget what you're saying?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. They think it's great fun, especially when two lovers are having an intimate conversation. Nothing breaks the mood quicker than one of them forgetting the word they were about to say."

"Why didn't you use it when I was trying to remember Vauxhall Road?"

"Because it wasn't on the tip of your tongue. It turned out to be a lot less useful than she hoped when she created it. Also the incantation is a beast to remember. And it's in Fairy."

"Thank you Luna, and thanks to your mother. I'm going to get a broom and explore that tunnel. Meanwhile, Ron, can you go get George and bring him back here?"

"George?"

"Yes, I have an idea, and I want to talk to him about it."

Shortly thereafter, with Myrle floating ahead of them, Harry, Remus, and Moody were flying through the dark tunnel, their wands giving the only light as it wound on and on. Eventually, after seeming to angle up, it came to a small chamber with a stairway up.

"Myrtle, would you be so kind as to go up and see what's on the top of the stairs?" Harry asked.

"For you, Harry, of course I would." The ghost drifted up the stairs and through the opening. She was down in a moment.

"It's a cliff face. I think it's somewhere in the forbidden forest," Myrtle answered.

"Moody, can you find the way to open it?"

Moody looked around and said, "The door's magical, but I can't see any way to open it. Why don't you try hissing at it again."

"Open."

"That was English, Harry," Remus told him.

"Drat. You know, I can't speak Parseltongue unless I think I'm speaking it to a snake."

"There's a picture of one on the door. Try to talk to it." Moody answered.

Harry went up the steps, and let the light from his wand shine upon the door. Concentrating on the picture, he was able to order the door to open, which it did. They stepped outside.

They were on a wooded hillside. It did indeed look like it was somewhere in the forbidden forest. They mounted their brooms and flew above the trees and found that they were well beyond the lake, which lay between them and the castle. They flew around, checking for landmarks so they would be able to find it again. Landing, they debated going back by the tunnel, or just flying to the castle. Harry insisted on going back through the tunnel, and Moody insisted on flying over the lake, so they parted company, Remus and Myrtle staying with Harry. He stopped several times along the way, looking at the walls and ceiling.

"What are you looking for, Harry?" Remus asked.

"I was wondering what it would take to collapse this tunnel."

"Probably some muggle or magical explosives; it shouldn't be too hard. There's probably a bit of magic that stopped it from collapsing so far, but that can usually be overcome with a little effort. An explosive would constitute a little effort. Why?"

"I was thinking what a wonderful trap the Chamber of secrets would be."

"How will you get someone into the trap?"

"I'm working on it."

They continued through the tunnel, finally reaching the "mouth." As they came up to it, they noticed something shining above the opening. Harry floated up to it and read:

**For special services to the school, awarded to T. M. Riddle ****June 20, 1945.**

"The award? I thought they checked it upstairs. What's it doing here?"

Remus waved his wand around it. "Doesn't seem to be booby trapped; let's take it out of here, and compare it with the one upstairs."

It was just sitting on stone shelf and they were able to lift it off without incident. They flew to the Chamber floor, and presented their find. Hermione cast the detection spell, and the shield in their hands was indeed a Horcrux. Ron and George appeared about that time.

"I came as soon as I could," George began.

"You're timing's perfect, George. Wait a moment." He addressed the rest of the group there.

"I want Remus, and Professor McGonagall to wait here with George. Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna, I want you to take these," he handed over the two Horcruxes, "and get Bill and Mad-Eye's opinion on how to destroy them. Keep them hidden from everyone else's eyes, however."

"Harry? What are you planning to do?" Hermione asked, suspiciously.

"I'm going to talk with the two greatest living pranksters and the person in charge of the school about the best way to give a certain Dark Lord a very bad day."

"And you don't want our input?"

"I already know what you'll say. Hermione, you'll say it's too dangerous, and Ron will say there's no way he'll let me do what I'm planning. That's what these blokes are for, to make it not too dangerous, and to make sure I'm not completely out of my head. However, I have a role for you and your Protean charm, Hermione."

"Harry," George volunteered, "just because we help you with a plan _doesn't_ mean that you're _not_ completely crazy."

"I won't argue the point. Let's get our individual jobs done, and meet in the great Hall for dinner, if the house elves will serve us and it's alright the Headmistress."

"What about me, Harry," asked Myrtle.

Harry smiled. "You stay with me, too. I have an idea of how you might be able to help, if you're willing."

She smiled back at him and seemed to bat her eyelids. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and just watched his friends leave.

"Now, this is what I was thinking, and I want to know what you think. Professor, you're here because this might endanger the school and I want your permission, and I want to fill you in on the prophecy and what we need to do to defeat Voldemort. Some of this George will be hearing for the first time, too. . . ."

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They were eating at the professors' table, when Ron spoke up.

"I've been thinking about the search for the orphanage. Basically, we have to search Vauxhall Road and the area with Dobby, without him being seen. So all we have to do is disillusion him or let him use the invisibility cloak. We should go when there isn't much traffic, but it can't be when it's in the middle of the night, either. We have to see the buildings."

"That makes sense. Hermione, can you set up a schedule and search areas?"

Hermione's eyes almost lit up. "I can do that."

"We better make it no less than two people and Dobby," Remus added.

"And they have to be able to Apparate, in case of emergency," Ron suggested.

Harry put in, "And we shouldn't do too much any one night. This will probably be boring and tedious for Dobby; and we don't want to wear him out."

Hermione nodded. "Good thinking, Harry. We don't want to take advantage of him."

"Do you think you can have something for tomorrow evening? I want to get searching as soon as possible."

Hermione agreed.

Harry felt pulled two directions. He was pleased with the day, finding two Horcruxes. Bill and Mad-Eye said they had a plan for destroying them. George and McGonagall were going to get to work on what he needed for the end game. But he still had two more Horcruxes to find, and one could be anywhere.

But the other -- well, that was just a matter of days away.


	17. The Orphanage

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter, his friends, enemies, and world, are not mine, and I make no claim to them. Thanks to Evan Mayerle for beta-ing this chapter.

**Chapter 17 The Orphanage**

That night, Hermione ran into a snag in setting up the schedule.

"Harry, it would be easier setting up a search plan if I knew where to start from. Do we know where the stationery store was?"

"Just the name of the store, and Vauxhall Road, London."

"Then, I think we should schedule an excursion to Vauxhall Road tomorrow. It's Sunday, so we're not meeting at Neville's."

"So how do we get there? Drive? Apparate?"

"The car's at Headquarters, so if we floo there, we can take the car to Vauxhall Road and see how lucky we are."

So the next morning five Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione found themselves driving through London. Ron and Ginny came because they were friends, and Harry wasn't going to push friends away if he didn't need to. Charlie was there as "protection" and a chance to get out again (he was still annoyed about Harry's move to keep Ginny out of the Chamber the previous day), and Molly came because she wasn't going to let Ginny run around London unsupervised. The car's interior had to be magically expanded to fit all the people comfortably.

Harry navigated and got Hermione to the right street. It ran for about fifteen blocks, and the variety store wasn't there any more. It was a mix of small shops with areas of larger, non-retail businesses. Most of the time they couldn't figure out what the stores did.

They decided to ask, and stopped in one of the areas of small shops that had a few open. Charlie hit the jackpot in a tobacconists store. The old proprietor remembered the store in question, and described where it was, just a block away. The fellow couldn't remember where the orphanage was, though. He was sure it was torn down decades ago.

They walked to the place where the variety store stood, and looked around. Unfortunately, it didn't help. There was no indication of where the orphanage was. But at least they had a place to start.

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The next day was Monday, and the group met as usual at Neville's place. Hermione handed out the schedules for the orphanage search. People involved, who weren't staying at the Burrow, would floo there, and then Apparate to an alley near the location of the store where Riddle got the diary. They would then follow their route describing the buildings to the invisible Dobby, and he would tell if there were any missed buildings. She had each route about a mile or two long, so it wouldn't take excessive amounts of time finish. That night was her and Remus. The next was Harry and Bill. Wednesday was Ron and Charlie, and Thursday was Neville and Tonks, who had the night off. Then she would re-assess the procedure, and come up with new areas to search.

After the morning workout and magical practice session, they had lunch and discussed the state of affairs. They didn't expect anything from Mad-Eye and Bill at least for a few days. Bill was back at work, so that would limit his availability. Harry was going to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes in the hope of helping George with the preparations they were working on. Luna was going to Department of Mysteries to talk to Mr. Croaker, she didn't want to say why. She invited Hermione along with the hope it would be less stressful than their trip to the government building. Ron and Ginny were going to go with Harry, and Neville was going to stay at his place.

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"Yes, may I help you?" the receptionist at the Ministry of Magic didn't seem interested in helping anyone.

"Yes please," Luna answered. "I'd like to speak with Mr. Algie Croaker please."

"Concerning?"

"A private matter."

"Sorry. Private matters can be handled after hours."

"Let me rephrase that. An unspeakable matter."

That got the receptionist's attention. "What sort of unspeakable matter?"

"If I could talk about it, it wouldn't be unspeakable, would it? May we please see him?"

"I'll have to summon him. You can't just walk around the Department of Mysteries, you know."

"Well. . . ."

Before Luna could say any more, Hermione pulled her away, saying, "Very good, we'll just wait over here then."

"That was rude," Luna said.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it would have slowed things down if you told her what I think you were going to tell her. Let's just wait for Mr. Croaker."

It wasn't Mr. Croaker who showed up, but a Mr. Whitehaven. He led them into an office and asked what they wanted with Mr. Croaker.

"I want to see my mother's notes on what she was working on before she died."

Both Hermione and Mr. Whitehaven looked at her with puzzled expressions.

"She was a spell crafter for the Department of Mysteries and she was working on a spell and theoretically something went wrong and she was killed by it. But recently a wizard said that the type of spell she was doing couldn't cause the damage that killed her, and I want to know if she was really killed by the spell or if something else killed her."

"Miss Lovegood, we are not in the habit. . . ."

"You are the only ones who can give me a clue if she was killed by the spell or something else!"

Hermione asked, quietly, hoping to calm the blond girl down, "Luna? Does this have anything to do with you-know-what?"

"It may Hermione. She said she was researching tracking charms."

Mr. Whitehaven asked, "And that's important because?"

"Hermione will figure it out. Now, are you going to help me, or do I have to go over your head."

"By all means, go over my head. There are very few people in the Ministry who can overrule me."

"Then good day, sir."

As they walked to the elevator, Hermione asked, "Who do we know that's over his head?"

"The man you talked with just last week. The Minister of Magic."

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"I hope you're satisfied, young lady!" Mr. Whitehaven was not happy. "Do you know how much time we had to devote to finding these papers, analyzing them to make sure that they didn't contain any secrets, and making duplicates! Take the notes and get out of here."

"Thank you very much. I appreciate your hard work," Luna answered. She collected the folder she had been given and walked out with Hermione.

"I don't believe that just happened."

"Well, if my mother was telling me the truth then I thought we had a very small chance of disappearing and never being found again for sticking our noses in Things Wizards Were Not Meant To Know. However, I don't remember my mother ever lying, except that "where do fairies come from" thing, so I was reasonably certain that she was really researching tracking charms."

"But why is all this important?"

Luna didn't say anything more until they were back at the Burrow. Hermione repeated the question and Luna answered, "Have you read anything about tracking charms recently?"

Hermione thought for a moment, and said, "Ravenclaw's necklace!"

Luna nodded. "If she was trying to recover the spell to find it, she may have run against one of Voldemort's traps. You saw Dumbledore's hand? That's how her whole body became right before she died. It was awful." For a moment Hermione saw in Luna's eyes the frightened nine year old who had watched her mother die. Then the moment passed.

"So if she found the spell, you think it would be in her notes?"

"I hope so. Then all we'd have to do is follow the tracking spell to where Voldemort hid it."

"Let's get to these notes," Hermione said, with a determined look on her face.

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The next night Harry and Bill were walking through London, not too far from Vauxhall Road. Along with the running commentary on the buildings they were passing ("White brick building on right side, one door, says _B. Jonas_ on it,") Harry was asking Bill about the job he and Mad-Eye were going to do.

"We think we've got it figured out. We'll need to do it this weekend, when there's no one around the site we have picked out. There may be fireworks involved."

"What do you mean? Real fireworks?"

"No. But there's probably a lot of magic in those items, and I expect they will release with a bang. Right side, gray two story, sign on window says "Clyde Burke, Clipping Agency."

"Mr. Weezey. What about the other building?"

"There's another building between this one and the white brick one?"

"Yes, looks like three stories tall, with pitched roof. Is in need of new paint. The windows are dirty, too."

"Harry, we have our orphanage!"

"Let's go get everyone else."

"You want to do it now?"

"No time like the present."

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The group consisted of the six friends, Charlie, Bill, and Remus. They gathered on the sidewalk near where Dobby said the door was. After a little debate, Dobby was going to pop in, take a quick look around the door, and pop out.

He did, and despite all the horrible things that could have happened, none of them did. The hall was empty. He popped back into the building with a rope, tied it on some furniture, opened the door, and tossed the other end out. To the group outside, suddenly a rope appeared on the ground. They took hold, and followed it inside. Once past the door they could see the building, too.

"Follow me," Harry said, "I think I remember the way to his room. The room was on the second floor. At the top of the steps on the first floor Harry looked around. The stairs to the second floor was down the hall. He led the group past numerous doors to the next stairway. When Harry put his foot on the first step the doors opened. From each room Inferi appeared. There were many coming out of the rooms between them and the stairs down. The group started petrifying them.

"They're children!" cried Hermione.

"Yes, You-Know-Who doesn't spare the innocent!" Remus replied. "Cast!"

The pile of bodies build up, and they kept coming, climbing over the petrified ones. Bill stopped casting _Petrificus Totalus _and started doing casting something else.

"Let's get upstairs, I think I've got the steps warded against them for awhile. It's not permanent, but it should be long enough."

Harry turned, and almost tripped over Dobby, who was cowering behind him.

"Dobby, go back to the Burrow. You did well."

With a few "thank you"s, he disappeared.

They reached the second level, and looked around.

"This looks similar to the last floor," Ron remarked.

"If I remember right, it's one of the ones towards the middle. How about we lock the doors as we come up to them?"

Nobody could think of an objection, and they cast _Colloportus_ on the doors that they came up to.

"I think it's this one," Harry said as they reached a door in the center of the building.

"Wait, Harry," Remus interrupted. "Let's lock the rest of the doors." After they accomplished that, they returned to the one that Harry though was the door to Riddle's room. Bill checked for magic, and could not find any on the door.

"The floor, however, seems to be fireproofed," he said. "I wonder why?"

Harry reached out, and pulled the door open. It opened to a small room with a window, a metal framed bed, a small rug, and a wardrobe. Other than that, it was empty.

"This looks like the room. But maybe they all do. Might as well check the wardrobe." He reached out and opened it. The inside of the wardrobe was huge. It had been magically expanded into a large room. In the magic room was a man-shaped fire. It stood over two meters tall, and turned to look at Harry through the door. It started walking towards him. He backed away.

"Fire monster, dead ahead!" he called, as he moved away. The creature bent over, and stepped out of the wardrobe. They could feel the heat pouring off it.

"Out!" Remus called. "We're too packed together. Into the hall!"

The group moved into the hall and noticed they were surrounded. At either end of the hall there was another of the fire monsters.

Besides the one in the room, the one between them and the steps was closest, so Bill aimed his wand and yelled, "_Aguamenti_!" Soon everyone was spraying water on either the one down the hall or the one that had come out of the bedroom. It wasn't doing anything except filling the hall with steam.

"_Creo Terrum_!" Luna yelled, and a jet of sand flew out of her wand and hit the creature. That seemed to slow him down. Others soon followed her lead, and with the help of a lot of sand, the creatures were soon smothered.

"That's so sad," Luna said after they had doused the red hot sand piles with water.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked.

"Those were the last three Heliopaths that the Minister of Magic said survived the war. Voldemort must have imprisoned them here, and forced them to be guards. I'm just sorry I had to help make them extinct."

"I'm not sorry that we're not dead," Hermione answered.

"No, that would stop us from defeating Voldemort. Well, let's see what they were guarding. She walked over the now cool pile of sand and glass, and entered Riddle's old room.

"Luna, wait for everyone!" Harry yelled, and he caught up with her. Once in, they went into the wardrobe. The room was bare, except for a pedestal with a black metal box in it, surrounded by a glass globe.

"Bill," Harry asked. "What do you think?"

Bill cast a number of detection spells over the globe and around the pedestal. "The globe is filled with poisonous gas. There's all sorts of spells around it so you can't spell the globe off. The gas is enchanted, and will go through a bubble-head charm, and probably most others that would protect you in this case."

"Couldn't we push it off from outside the wardrobe?" Ron asked.

"If we had a long enough pole."

"Why don't you just conjure one up?"

Bill conjured a broom, and stood back and swung it at the globe. Several people gasped when he did that. As soon as the broom touched the globe, it disappeared. Bill looked at his empty hands.

"It's designed to disenchant anything that touches it. If we transfigured something, it would revert when it touched it."

Luna asked, "Can you conjure a rope long enough to reach the other room?"

"Sure, but it won't do any good. As soon as it touched the globe it would disappear."

"What if it didn't touch the globe?" she asked as she went into the bed room and picked up the rug. Bringing it back to the pedestal, she tossed it over the globe. "Rope, please," she asked.

Bill conjured a rope, and they quickly tied it to the globe, with the rug acting as an insulator. They put a conjured pulley in the ceiling, and threaded the rope through it, then retreated to the bed room.

Harry opened the window in the bedroom. Remus conjured a fan in the window to blow air out. The group exited the room, and closed the door as much as they could, then Charlie pulled the rope.

"Is there any way to tell how long this will take to clear the air?"

"No," Bill said, "but if you stay back, I can try detecting it from the doorway."

The first time he cast the detection spell the results showed poison in the air. They spent some time setting up a hook to tie the rope to. Once they had finished that, and Charlie no longer had to hold the rope, Bill cast his charm again. This time there was no poison detected.

He opened the door slowly, and kept casting the spell. He slowly made his way into the wardrobe again, casting all the way. Once inside, he started casting other spells around the box. Satisfied, he picked it up, and opened it.

Inside lay the golden cup of Helga Hufflepuff.

"Now, how do we get out past the Infiri?" Ron asked.

"Through the window," Luna answered.

"How? Fly?"

"No. We just conjure a rope ladder and climb down."

"How about I just Apparate?" Hermione said.

"Go ahead. We'll meet you on the sidewalk," Bill answered.

Ron, Neville, Hermione, Charlie, and Remus Apparated down. Voldemort must have felt that no one could Apparate in to the Fidelius protected building, so Apparating out didn't enter his thinking. Harry went down the rope because he wasn't going to leave anyone behind. Luna followed him, then Ginny, then Bill. They made it to the ground without incident. They got into Hermione's car, drove back to Headquarters, and floo-ed back to the Burrow. Neville, Remus, Luna, and Bill floo-ed home from there.

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The a few days later, after their training session, Luna and Hermione spread out the papers they had been working on for several days.

"Maybe we should contact Professor Vector?" Hermione was saying. "We're just going in circles on this."

Remus came over. "What are you working on? Maybe I can help. I wasn't half bad in Arithmancy."

Hermione gave a sigh, and said, "These are the notes from Luna's mother's last job. She was working on variations of tracking charms. We think that she was searching for Ravenclaw's necklace. She may even have found it, but was killed by a wasting curse similar to what destroyed Dumbledore's hand."

Luna took up the story, "From what we can tell, she didn't write down the last spells she tried, but we've guessed several. We were quite excited yesterday when we got a response from one, but it appears my mother put a tracking charm on my necklace. See." She held the wand in her hand and spoke the fractured Latin that magical people seem to use to "find my flying love." The wand spun and pointed at Luna, who was wearing her butterbeer cork necklace. She took it off, put it on the table and cast the spell again. The wand spun and pointed at the necklace.

"Maybe the necklace is Ravenclaw's," Neville said who had listened to the conversation.

"No, my mother. . . ." Luna began, but then took her wand and cast the Horcrux detection spell. The necklace glowed green, showing it to be a Horcrux. Remus reached out for the necklace.

"May I," he asked. Luna nodded. He picked it up. The necklace consisted of a delicate looking, but tarnished chain with a small clasp at the back. In the middle were seven butterbeer corks, the chain going right through them. Remus took a knife, and cut one of the corks so it could be removed from the necklace. Under it was a gleaming red gem. He removed the rest of the corks, and they too hid large rubies.

"Luna, I'm sorry but we have to destroy this."

She just nodded, eyes wide. She got up from the table and made her way to the fireplace. She floo-ed away.

Harry said, "I'm going to her house to make sure she's OK." He floo-ed away after her.

Coming out of the fireplace, and almost falling, he looked around. Luna was sitting on the couch, tears streaking her face. Harry went over and sat next to her. She leaned against him, and he put his arm around her.

"He killed my mother. All this time, I thought it was a spell accident, but it wasn't. It was some sort of trap designed to hurt people. He likes to hurt people. Are you sure your plan will work?"

"I'm pretty sure. No one's come up with a better one."

She nodded, and just stayed leaning against him. After a while, she thanked him for being a friend, and asked to be alone to take a nap. Harry went back to the Burrow.

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The group assembled in a quarry in the vicinity of Newcastle. They stared at four guillotine like contraptions.

"So, how does this work, exactly?" Harry asked Bill.

"We've been working on weakening the spells that make the objects unbreakable. If you break the object, the magic is released. When we give the signal, the weights will drop on the objects, and if we've been successful against their protection, boom."

"Why are they spread out like that?"

"So if one explodes before the others, it isn't close enough to damage the frames of the others, and they still smash the Horcruxes with their weights."

Mad-Eye Moody had been inspecting the Horcrux destroying devices, then Apparated over to the group. Bill looked at Mad-Eye, who nodded back.

Bill deadpanned, "After a final check by my beautiful assistant, I can safely say, _Finite Incantatem!"_

As he spoke the words they could see the weights travelling down the wooden frame. They had over ten meters to drop, and they seemed to take forever to gain any speed. But suddenly the first one hit and there was an explosion. The rest exploded in rapid succession. As the smoke cleared they could see the mangled remains of the anti-Horcrux devices. They searched the area, and found a bit of gold from one of the Horcruxes, but that was it.

Harry looked at the wreckage of the one that destroyed the locket. He took out his wand, and murmured, "Accio rubies." Something small flew towards him, and he grabbed it out of the air. He then helped with the cleanup, destroying the remains of the guillotines.


	18. The Power He Knows Not

**Disclaimer:**Considering all the press interest in J.K. Rowlings book that's about to be released (ha! Beat it!) and the lack of interest in this ones completion, I think we can all agree that Harry Potter doesn't belong to me. This is written for fun and I make no profit from it. And now -- the last chapter.

**Chapter 18 The Power He Knows Not**

Events in the wizarding world continued to move. In the first full week of August the Governors of Hogwarts met and debated closing the school for the duration of the war. McGonagall argued that with the new anti-Dark Mark wards the school would be safer than most homes and additional measures were being taken. The two known tunnels between the school and Hogsmeade had been filled in. They had done everything magically and humanly possible to protect the school. The board reluctantly agreed to allow the school to open.

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Voldemort drank the potion Snape gave him. He was tired of feeling pain every time he tortured someone. He wasn't the one that was supposed to be hurting after all. That was the whole point. So he was sitting in his darkened audience chamber, trying to relax when he was interrupted.

"My Lord! Please forgive me for not kissing the hem of your robe."

Voldemort looked at the teenager in the wheelchair. Malfoy's brat. He certainly wasn't much use to the Dark Lord the way he is.

"My Lord, if you could see your way to healing me, I would be a useful follower! I would destroy My Lord's enemies. I would. . . ."

"Snape," Voldemort cut in with a sharp hiss. "Can he be fixed?"

"No, My Lord. Not by normal magical healing. I am not acquainted with as many Dark rituals as you, My Lord, so I cannot say for certain." Snape had a bad feeling about this. He had warned Draco to stay away, but the young Malfoy had never been one for using good judgment.

"I would perform any Dark ritual My Lord requests. I . . . ."

"You said you would be a useful follower if I healed you?"

"Yes, My Lord."

"Then you acknowledge that you are not useful now. I have no time for this. _Avada_ _Kedavra_. AAAAAGGG!"

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Snape held Narcissa that night as she cried. Her worst nightmare had come to pass. With the exception of her crazy sister, she had lost everything in the service to the Dark Lord. She was finally sleeping fitfully. Snape should have left hours before to get the potion ingredients that he needed, but he had been unwilling to leave her until she'd fallen asleep. Cursing the delay, he grabbed his bag and Apparated away. The moon was half full, but beneath the trees of the Forbidden Forest the light did not penetrate. The ingredient collection took a few hours but he eventually finished. His official task done, he then extracted the black robe and Death Eater mask from his bag and donned them. For a moment the thought that this was probably the second stupidest thing he had ever done flitted through his mind. Joining Voldemort was definitely number one. But then other incidents in his life escaped the mental boxes they were stored in, and he had to admit that it didn't rank in the top ten.

He concentrated on his destination, and Disapparated.

The town of Nottinghamshire bore very little resemblance to the forest where a certain thief once made a name for himself. The block that Snape appeared on was filled with closely built houses; older than the bland modern dwellings on Privet Drive in Surrey, but more diverse and friendly looking. The street and gardens housed tall trees that looked like they had been there fifty to a hundred years.

Snape didn't spare the neighborhood more than the glance necessary to make sure he was alone. He mentally went over his list to ensure that everything was ready, and took his wand and a potion vial out of his robe's pocket. He stood in front of a house and banished the potion at it. The cost of that potion briefly crossed his mind. He started casting spells even before the fragile glass struck the house.

The Ward Disrupting potion was restricted, complex, and filled with very rare ingredients. Coupled with the spells Snape was casting, he hoped it would give him enough time to complete his mission. As the flask broke, the potion spread out over a larger area than one might have expected and the wards lit up briefly, Snape ran towards the house.

There was no time for subtlety now. A _reducto _made the door disappear. He saw a stairway almost right in front of him; he fired off several more explosive hexes as he ran towards it. There were screams from upstairs. He held his wand ready as he took the steps two at a time; not something one could do in a robe without practice. A stunning hex flew at him, but was stopped by his hastily raised shield. He again cast a _reducto _at a wall near the witch who had attacked him. She disappeared into a door, and Snape was sure he heard the sound of a portkey activating. Following with a bit more care than the initial attack, the former potions instructor entered the same room. It was decorated for a child. Behind the white mask, Snape smiled. His goal was sitting there on a dresser. He grabbed the cage containing an owl, and heard the return portkey that was probably bringing the Aurors back to the house. Dean's suggestion for keeping the population safe had been implemented and had shocked the Death Eaters the first few times it was used. After that, the next incident ended in a massacre of the Aurors who used the portkey to return; the Death Eaters had been waiting, wands drawn, at the location the portkey had left from. Tactics changed to respond; the Aurors no longer came back exactly where the portkey left from. War was a great force for innovation, and the Unspeakables had made numerous advances in Portkeys to help the Aurors.

Snape didn't wait around. One change was that as soon as the Aurors popped in, they erected an anti-portkey ward. The Aurors could drop it, but the Death Eaters would suddenly find their emergency portkeys useless. However, as this wasn't a normal attack, there was no anti-Apparation ward to keep Snape there, since that ward was usually the first thing that normal Death Eaters set in place, and he needed a quick get away. He Apparated to the Forbidden Forest with the owl, which had been the objective of this exercise. He opened the cage and was bit by an enraged and deeply offended owl. One _petrificus totalus _later, he tied the note he had written to its leg, and released it from its magical bounds. It quickly took flight, hitting the former potions instructor on the head with a wing while doing so.

Snape returned to his house on Spinners End. He checked on Narcissa and got to work on the potions that the Dark Lord required.

At about the same time, the Headmistress of Hogwarts was being awakened by an owl knocking on her window. She let it in, and read the note. It was unsigned, but she recognized the handwriting. She pondered trust. Was the note trustworthy? If it was, who could she share it with that she could trust? If this information got back to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, what would happen? And if this note weren't true, but a trap, what would happen?

She was tired, but she got no more sleep that night.

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The Order of the Phoenix met in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Dedalus Diggle looked over the group, and noted Tonks, Shacklebolt, and several other Auror members in the back of the crowd. There were also a large number of House Elves around, serving tea and butterbeer and pastries and other snacks. He walked among the members, chatting with them.

"When does the meeting start?" Bill Weasley asked him.

"We're waiting for someone. I have a special guest, and a job for the Order. If all goes well, we may have a chance to make our mark on this war."

"Really? What's the plan?"

"You'll have to wait and see."

As he was speaking, a House Elf handed him a note. Diggle took the paper, and made his way to the podium. The Order was sitting at the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables, the two in the middle, towards the teacher's end of the hall.

"Friends, I have a guest who has asked to speak to us," he began as the door to the Great Hall opened. "May I present Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic."

The Minister entered the room with about a dozen Aurors. Some fanned out around the Order, and some guarded the doors.

As he reached the podium, a pair of Aurors put a paper at each of the student tables.

"What we have there," Scrimgeour stated, "is a binding magical contract prohibiting you from disclosing, either actively or inadvertently, anything you hear in this meeting. It is of vital importance that nothing we are planning gets back to You-Know-Who."

"We all took a magical Oath when we joined," Gwenog Jones commented.

"Yes, so you won't have any objection to signing this."

There was some mumbling, but everybody signed.

"Now we can continue," Scrimgeour said, as he was told of the full participation. "In three days time Riddle will make a major attack on a Muggle town. He intends to kill virtually everyone, but mostly, he intends to strike a blow against the Aurors who've been so successful against him lately.

"Your organization has been in the fight since before the Ministry got involved. That's why I'm here to offer you a chance to strike a blow directly at Riddle and the Death Eaters. Anyone who wants to, and has the skills, will be temporarily Aurortorized and allowed to join in the battle."

"Payback time!" George shouted. A large number of other people yelled something similar.

Diggle was delighted. He had felt that Dumbledore had held back the organization from taking any useful action against the Dark Lord; but here was his chance. They were going to strike a blow directly at the Death Eaters.

Minerva McGonagall looked over the cheering crowd. She'd been in the first war with Voldemort, and before that in the war against Grindelwald. She wondered how many of these cheering witches and wizards would be here after the battle.

"Even if you are not up to a battle, we can use you in the infirmary we will have set up, and in other positions. I want everyone who wants to fight over there, everyone who's willing to work in other capacities over there, and anyone else to leave." Scrimgeour was in his element. Of course he had to know how to play politics to get his position as Minister of Magic. But what he really liked was organizing and running the Aurors. Nothing in his current job (and especially not the paperwork) could compare with the execution of a well organized police action. He got down to work.

After the meeting, Scrimgeour approached McGonagall.

"Headmistress, I want to thank you for that information."

"You are welcome, Minister."

"I was wondering if you could tell me how to get in contact with Harry Potter?"

"What do you want with Mr. Potter?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Nothing bad, I can tell you that. No, it's just that I know that Mr. Potter had expressed interest in being an Auror, and I know he taught defense and he acquitted himself well against the Death Eaters that attacked him during his Apparition test. I just wanted to invite him to participate in the upcoming battle."

"But he hasn't even taken his NEWTs yet. . . ."

"Nevertheless, he is an adult, and he is involved. It will be his choice, but I feel that it would be politic to invite him. We made an arrangement to help each other at the beginning of the summer, and I think this is part of it."

"Very well, then. He can be contacted at the Burrow."

"I thought so. Thank you."

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Despite the war, life went on. The next day the Hogwarts letters were sent out. Slughorn was coming back to teach potions, and Remus Lupin was rehired to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. McGonagall had argued that he was the best defense teacher they had had in over ten years and she guaranteed to personally make sure he took the Wolfsbane potion and was locked up on full moon nights. She also hired Hilaria Shingleton, a Ravenclaw who graduated in 1977, as the new transfiguration instructor.

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Also that day Harry and his friends met at Neville's place. It was getting a little too close to the full moon, so Remus wasn't there.

Harry explained what he could to his friends.

"Scrimgeour talked to me. In two days there's going to be a Death Eater attack. He asked me if I want to be part of it. I agreed, and he allowed me to invite those of you who are adults. Sorry, Luna and Ginny. You are invited to be at the command center. I can't give you any more information than this, except to say that we'll be on the high street. So, over the next fourty eight hours, I'd like us to prepare as well as possible."

They spent the next two days getting ready as best they could. Harry scouted the area (because, even if Scrimgeour hadn't told him the town, Harry knew), practiced broom mounted spell casting (even Hermione and Neville), worked on two man dueling teams, and stocked up with a few Weasley Wizarding Wheezes each.

They also worked on their transfiguration. They practiced converting marbles into marble walls to use as blocks against the Killing Curse. By the end of the day they started to get burned out, To break up the monotony, they started to inject a level of silliness into their spell casting.

Luna started it when she transfigured a wall with a bas-relief of a unicorn on it. Harry, noticing the laughter, created one with an engraving, "Dark Lords go Home" in it. They weren't sure what Ron's was supposed to be, but it wasn't a wall. About that time, they gave up practicing, and just started to have fun. Ginny transformed a marble into a large W, and Neville made one into a large N. Hermione tried to transform hers into a Greek temple, and mostly succeeded, but it was only eight centimeters on a side. Luna took the idea in a different direction and created a marble column, which started a contest to see who could make the best column.

Transformations of that sort require several things. The magical strength of the caster determines how large a transformation can be. Harry's column was almost ten meters tall. Ron, Neville, Ginny, Hermione and Luna each had smaller columns; although Luna found that she could increase the height by decreasing the diameter, which led Harry to creating one almost twenty meters tall but that broke under its own weight. They gave that up when Hermione pointed out that Neville's greenhouse would have been destroyed if the column had broken a different direction.

Skill with the spell determines how quick the transformation and how intricate the new object can be. Harry thought that imagination had something to do with it, too; Restricting themselves to three meter tall columns, they played with adding elaborate designs to them. Hermione based hers on columns that she had seen or read about. Luna's were engraved with images of creatures, some of which Harry had unsurprisingly never seen before. They conceded the contest to Luna and broke for dinner.

After dinner they floo-ed to the Ministry of Magic and then to a temporary fireplace in Kendal.

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The day had been a tense one for the Order of the Phoenix. They knew what was going to happen, just not how it was going to turn out. Harry's warning, via Tonks, supported by Snapes' note, had a huge impact on the war. Voldemort had emptied his barracks for this offensive. Virtually all his Death Eaters were sent to Kendal to ambush the Aurors who would come to fight the Dementors. There were almost eighty Death Eaters, two dozen werewolves, and the last score of Voldemort's Dementors.

What they didn't know was that Minister Scrimgeour had contacted several other countries, and there were almost 150 foreign Aurors as well as thirty British Aurors already in the town. Each group was assigned a different part of town to watch. Throughout the day, the Muggle police had been quietly evacuating neighborhoods. After the police were done, the Aurors had gotten a list of people who hadn't left. They were quietly hunted down, stunned, Obliviated, and moved to a safe location. The town was close to deserted.

Molly Weasley glared at her daughter, and Ginny glared right back. She had forbidden Ginny from being in the battle. They were in the gymnasium of the local school which had been set up as a makeshift hospital and command center. Scrimgeour stood by a table at one end of the room. There was a large map of the town and a dozen clerks manning a large set of magic mirrors. Luna was with them. Being underage she also wasn't allowed to join the battle. Waiting nearby was a group of Aurors with brooms. They were a fast response group prepared to aid any of the other groups that encountered the enemy. To cover the whole town, the Auror groups on patrol had to be kept small.

It was on the western part of the town where the first attack came. The werewolf pack came into town where a contingent of foreign Aurors was stationed. One tactic that the Death Eaters hadn't noticed in their previous defeats was used with great effect against the magical creatures -- brooms. With no way to attack anyone in the air the lycanthropes were out maneuvered and decimated. Even the Aurors felt it was no challenge. The only casualties occured when Fenrir Greyback, his mind intact after taking the Wolfsbane potion, tried to hide in a house and a group of French Aurors had to go in and get him. Three Aurors were killed, one was bitten and infected, but Greyback was decapitated.

On the eastern side of the town, the Dementors attacked. This was what the Aurors were waiting for. They knew this wasn't going to be like the other attacks. The Death Eaters would be ready for them. The Autors hoped they were ready for the Death Eaters.

A group took to the sky as soon as they felt the Dementors. Anti-portkey and anti-Apparition wards were raised. Word went back to the command center on the location of the Dementors. The reserve group took off to get nearer the area of fighting.

Auror Dawlish was in the group that first approached the Dementors. They carefully flew over the black clad creatures. They wanted to mark the positions of the waiting Death Eaters before the trap was sprung. The Death Eaters, showing more restraint than they were typically known for, stayed well hidden in the dark. Finally, Dawlish mirrored that they were going to land and confront the Dementors and led half his group of ten towards the soul suckers. By this time the reserve Aurors were in the neighborhood. They stayed hidden until Dawlish's group actually attacked the Dementors, which was the signal for the Death Eater attack.

As the first Patronus appeared to start herding the Dementors, the night was lit with spells. Half a dozen green beams came out of the darkness, targeting the group of Aurors. They erected hasty walls and barriers to block the Killing Curses. The Aurors in the air, now having spotted the enemy, returned fire. Authorized to use the Unforgivables, they let their hatred for the black robed assailants fuel their own Killing Curses.

The group with Dawlish had problems, though. They were off their brooms, surrounded by Dementors and Death Eaters. Trying to do three things at once -- defend against the killing curses heading their way, fight the Dementors, and return curses at the Death Eaters, they were quickly overcome. The first two fell to _Avada Kedavra _spells that weren't blocked. The other three were swarmed by Dementors. They destroyed several before a dodged killing curse meant that Dawlish didn't get a cheering charm cast upon him, which in turn caused his Patronus charm to fail allowing the Dementor to kiss him. The last two Aurors tried to fly out of the skirmish, but were cut down in the air.

The Death Eaters, meanwhile, were not having as much success with the rest of the battle. Dawlish's group was in the open and had limited mobility. The thirty or more Aurors in the air didn't have those limitations. Outnumbering the Death Eaters they could keep up a barrage of spells and dodge the return fire. As they realized they were losing, the Death Eaters tried to escape, but they couldn't breach the wards. If they had physically run some might have escaped, but they grouped together for what they hoped was mutual protection. In the end, it only made them a more convenient target.

A mile to the south a similar battle was being fought. The German Aurors ignored the English suggestion to use brooms, and fought on the ground. Their tactic of using rapid, short range Apparition didn't work in the warded area, and they took heavier casualties. They still outnumbered the Death Eaters, and received some air support from the Aurors that Scrimgeour had held in reserve, but they fought with determination and mounting anger as their comrades were cut down. The Death Eaters were systematically killed. There were rumors that some tried to surrender, but none were captured alive.

With the local and foreign Aurors guarding the periphery, the Order of the Phoenix was spread across the center. Broken into groups of five, they weren't expected to encounter anyone, but were there to backup the Aurors and watch for any groups that might break through the outer areas.

Harry's group was stationed in the middle of the high street. Neville, Hermione, Ron, and Professor Flitwick were in the business district, watching for any signs of trouble. When he had been told of the assignment three days ago, Harry had known he was being put in one of the least likely places for an attack. He hoped their two days of intensive training would be enough should they be attacked.

They moved into place at dusk. Disillusioning themselves they checked the area, pointing out natural hiding places, discussing possibilities, and making plans. They then split into two groups and moved several blocks away. Every fifteen minutes, Harry had the team of three move to a new position in their eight block patrol area, and one of the three join the other team. That way they always knew where each team was and at least one team could send a person to tell the other if they spotted anything. Harry kept the teams changing (it was Hermione's idea) so that the constant change would keep them alert.

Professor Flitwick was theoretically in charge of the group, but everyone, including him, took their orders from Harry. Harry, for his part, took suggestions from everyone, and added any good ones to their plan.

Around ten, when it was fully dark, Ron and Hermione saw a group of Death Eaters appear near a pub. They felt the anti-Apparition wards as they were cast, but then they felt something else.

"Flitwick," Hermione whispered to Ron. "They see them too." Flitwick's job, besides being "in charge" of the group, was to cast an anti-portkey ward as soon as they encountered the enemy. Depending on how observant they were, and how quick Flitwick was, the Death Eaters might not notice the new wards. Watching from the shadows, Hermione thought they had got lucky.

They watched as the group cautiously made it's way towards the pub. Neville arrived on his broom a moment later.

"You see them?" he asked.

"Five. One for each of us," Ron said, enthusiastically.

"Ron..." Hermione began.

"I know, it's not a game. Just keeping up morale.

"Harry suggested we move to the roof across the street. He expects them to go in the pub. He and the Professor will be on the pub's roof, watching the back and sides in case they go out another way."

They nodded, renewing their disillusionment charms, and carefully flew to the designated roof. They kept an active lookout for other Death Eaters, though. The group they found may have friends nearby.

They landed on the roof of a hardware store, and looked across the street. The door to the pub was open and only one Death Eater was visible.

Harry, meanwhile, left Flitwick at the back of the building, watching for any Death Eater activity in that direction. The pub abutted the building to the north, and there was narrow alley between it and the one to the south. There was a side door that opened onto the alley, and a loading dock at the back of the building. Harry dropped a portable swamp in the alley by the door. He then moved to the front of the building.

He removed his disillusionment charm from himself so his allies across the street could see what he was doing. They had told themselves that they were ready to kill but they really didn't want to if it could be avoided. Harry felt that this was an instance when it could be avoided. He waited a moment for the nervous Death Eater to pace away from the door. As soon as he did, Harry cast a stunning spell from nearly point blank range, above and slightly behind him. The Death Eater never saw it coming. As the body hit the ground it started floating away; one of the group across the street was making sure he or she couldn't be revived by the other Death Eaters. If they couldn't find the body, they couldn't _Ennervate _him. The Death Eater, Crabbe senior, it turned out to be, would later be found tied upside down to a branch of a tree, twenty feet above the ground.

When the other Death Eaters came out, they became more wary when they found their companion missing. When all 4 were out, Hermione cast a _Colloportus _spell on the door causing it to shut and lock behind them. As they turned towards the door, Hermione, Ron, and Neville cast spells at the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters were already alerted to the danger by their missing guard, though, and one of them threw up a shield to protect the others. All three had cast again, though, not waiting to see if the first spells hit.

In the second volley, Neville cast a blasting hex at the ground in front of the black robed fighters. While Ron and Hermione's spells were again deflected by the shield, Neville's wasn't, and chunks of concrete and tar struck the masked wizards. The one that had cast the shield had his concentration broken, and the shield fell. They dodged the next set of spells, though. One of them said something to the others, and they all cast the same spell, _Reducto,_ at the building across the street from them. The four blasting hexes were aimed between the windows and door, and one at the corner. The building started collapsing. Ron and Hermione moved away from the edge, but Neville was thrown off balance by the rocking building, and fell. Unable to run, he tried to grab anything, but the flat roof offered no hand holds, and he had to ride it to the ground.

On the other rooftop, Harry had been diverted from the beginning of the fight by the need to get Flitwick to their side of the building. Their roof was sloped, so it was a little more difficult to move around, and offered less cover. Harry took a moment to re-apply his disillusionment spell, and came over the roof to see the spells from his companions flying towards the ground below him. His enemies were too close to the building for him to see, so he moved down the slope until he was able to look over the edge. The Death Eaters were scattering, and the front of the building across the street was collapsing. Harry cast a spell at one of the Death Eaters, a charm, so it had no visible spell trace to give away his position. It was something he had worked out with George. It was a recreation of the spell Dobby had put on the bludger, and a variation on the spell the twins had placed on a snow ball back in Harry's first year. He pulled a bludger out of his pocket, and threw it in the air. It would attack the person he had cast the charm on until it was caught or destroyed. And since it was dark, and the iron ball was black, he didn't think anyone was going to catch it quickly.

The Death Eaters were running in different directions. One headed for the alley that had the swamp in it. Harry, being closer to that side of the building than Flitwick, made his way towards the alley. One ran down the street south, and two headed north.

"I'm following the the group of two," Harry heard Flitwick's voice from slightly above him. The professor must be on his broom, Harry thought. He looked over the side of the building, and heard more than saw the figure fall into the swamp. Harry cast a freezing charm on it, followed by a disarming hex. The freezing charm solidified the swamp, where the Death Eater was up to his thighs in mud. Too busy trying to figure out what was going on, he didn't shield himself, and lost his wand. Harry got on his broom, and flew to the other side of the swamp. He stunned the Death Eater, cast several summoning charms to remove any portkeys and other wands from him, letting them fall around him, and wrapped him in ropes. He hoped the frozen swap would be enough to confuse any allies who might find him. He flew off to join the rest of the battle.

Hermione and Ron saw the Death Eaters splitting up, and decided to follow the pair of them. They grabbed their brooms from where they were leaning against an exhaust vent near the back of the store and flew north. Ron suggested that Hermione fly at her own pace, and make sure they don't double back. Hermione agreed, but was also going to try to keep up.

The two Death Eaters, though, had hardly gone a block before one of them was hit from behind by a hard object, and fell to the ground. He got up, frantically looking around. The other one pulled off her hood, showing she was female with her long black hair, and looked around. Damn these hoods, she thought. She saw a black object flying towards her companion a moment before it almost hit him. He also saw it, and dodged at the last instant.

He too threw back his hood to gain a better view. He waved his wand and a beater bat appeared in his hand. He hit the bludger right before he was the recipient of a stunner from above.

Disillusionment wasn't perfect invisibility. And with the direction of the spell the woman was able to make out the caster's location.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _she called in a high squeaky voice. The charms professor dodged the first spell, but was hit with a second one, falling dead off his broom. Instinct made her dodge, and a curse passed through where she had been. She spun and searched the skies for another attacker.

She cast multiple "_Finite Incantatems_"in an arc and suddenly Ron was visible as the spell removed his disillusionment charm. Now she had a target and as fast as she could she cast the death curse repeatedly at Ron. Ron flew like he was in a Quidditch game with a dozen bludgers after him -- he dodged every one and even got a few low level spells off at the Death Eater whose distinctive voice gave her away as Bellatrix Lestrange. The spells forced her to dodge, which was why she missed seeing the bludger impact on her downed companion, breaking his ribs and causing one of them to rupture his lung. Marcus Flint would be dead before anyone would show up to help.

The other thing she missed was a _Stupefying Sue _dropped right next to her. Without a spell trace, she didn't have a chance to dodge. She fell in the middle of another "_Avada Kedavra" _incantation.

Down the street the other direction, the lone Death Eater ran past the ruined front of the hardware store. Rodolphus Lestrange didn't have his wife's instincts. Once past the debris his hood stopped him from seeing the _reducto_ curse that Neville cast at him. It hit him in the side and blew apart his right arm and chest cavity.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione showed up a few minutes later to help Neville out of the remains of the building. He had a broken ankle and would have been a sitting duck if his curse had missed. He was happy that Bellatrix was captured, and very happy that he had been able to take out one of the people who had tortured his parents. They collected Professor Flitwick's body, and walked the five blocks (Neville floated in a _Mobilicorpus _cast by Hermione) to the temporary headquarters, where a bunch of Aurors were sent out to collect the living Death Eaters.

Later that night they learned that several other groups of Death Eaters had Apparated into the center of town. They were supposed to start killing the populace while waiting for the Dementors to reach their neighborhoods.

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Voldemort waited in his hideout for word of the attack, but none of his minions returned. He would read in the Daily Prophet the next day that less than ten of his people were captured alive. All of the werewolves had been killed, and all of the Dementors were destroyed. Only fifteen Aurors, mostly foriengers, lost their lives in the battle. Voldemort was furious.

Harry felt his anger, and set up his Occlumency shields. Harry was barely bothered by the Cruciatus spells that Voldemort used on his followers. It seemed that Voldemort received almost as much pain from the spell as he gave. Harry smiled. It was time to bait the trap. He floo-ed to the Ministry of Magic.

A short time later, the editor of the Daily Prophet received an unexpected visitor.

"Minister! What can I do for you?"

"You can run this story on the front page tomorrow, and forget I was ever here."

"Is this. . . . is this true? You're going to be at Hogwarts Friday? You're going to the Chamber of Secrets?"

"All of it's true. Just print it exactly as it is written."

"Who wrote this? What byline do we put?"

"Just print it!"

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Voldemort was not happy the next day when he read the paper. The fact that Macnair tried to keep it from the Dark Lord only made it worse.

******Daily Prophet Exclusive!**

******Harry Potter "The Boy Who Lived" gives tour of Chamber of Secrets**

******Harry Potter, who has survived numerous encounters with Death Eaters and their so called "Dark Lord" boss, gave a tour of the Chamber of Secrets today.**

******"I heard that Headmistress McGonagall had been successful in keeping Hogwarts open, and that she had closed some tunnels into the school grounds. Since I'm the only one besides Voldemort who knows how to open the Chamber of Secrets, I felt it was my duty to help the school make sure it was as safe as we can make it."**

******The Chamber can only be opened by an incantation in Parseltongue, a skill which Potter believes he received from Voldemort during their first encounter when he was only one year old. It is reached through a haunted girl's bathroom and is located far below the ground. The Chamber has numerous pipes leading into it, conjectured to be access ways to the school for Slytherin's monster, which has twice in the last fifty years terrorized the school. Most of those pipes were filled with debris when the Chamber was disrupted four years ago. The Headmistress intends to make sure all of them are filled in, so as to not allow any future monsters access to the school. **

******The Chamber holds a huge statue of Salazar Slytherin (see picture). According to Potter, the basilisk that he killed in the Chamber entered through the mouth. Potter has been unable to open it, so a group of Unspeakables will be allowed into the Chamber on Friday to either find a way into the mouth, or destroy it. **

******"If there's an entrance to the Chamber, and thus to the school, through the mouth, we'll have to close it for good." Potter explained.**

******Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour will be in the Chamber with the Unspeakables Friday to oversee the project.**

Harry sat in the Great Hall reading his interview. The only problem with the plan is that he didn't know exactly when Voldemort would attack. He could, theoretically, come at any time, even before Friday. But the way the award had been protected, ie. not at all, told him that Voldemort would want to get there before the Ministry did. He might also want to kill the Minister and Harry Potter himself, which would be (to him) a good message to send the world.

But Voldemort didn't have to wait until Friday, and Harry had to be ready no matter when it happened.

Harry was asleep on a cot in Myrtle's bathroom very early Friday morning when Hermione woke him up.

"It's time. The scrying glass we have focused on the tunnel entrance showed Voldemort and at least six others entering the tunnel."

"Drat. I was hoping he would come alone. No matter. I'll get down to the Chamber. Make sure everyone else is ready."

He put on the boots and robe that he had made for this occasion, as well as double checked the amulet around his neck. Harry conjured a rug to wrap around himself, and jumped into the pipe that lead to the Chamber of Secrets. Aurors were just entering the bathroom as he slid out of sight. He ran to the actual Chamber and ordered the doors closed behind him. As they were about to close, he aimed his wand out of the chamber and shouted, "_Reducto!" _ The exploding charm hit the ceiling of the tunnel and caused it to collapse. The doors finished closing and he heard debris falling against the outside of the door. He took out his mirror, and activated it.

"Hello, Harry. They're walking. It will be a little while before they get there." George was awake and in the control room, which in this case was the Great Hall. They had nothing to do but wait.

"Harry, they reached the first point. Voldemort is still in the lead."

"Let them have it," Harry told him.

In the Great Hall, George touched his wand to a specific coin on the table. The Protean charm that Hermione had connected with that coin caused a large group of objects to change. Specifically, the detonators on the explosives that George had rigged up in the tunnel became active. From the entrance in the hillside to the midpoint that the attackers had just past there were explosions, and the tunnel collapsed.

Harry felt Voldemort's anger. It would be a while before they reached the next scrying point in the tunnel. Harry waited.

Ron's voice came through the mirror. "Hey, mate! It looks like just two of them left. Pretty sure the front one is Voldemort. We're going to blow the next part of the tunnel."

Harry heard this one. It was a dull rumble -- more felt than heard, actually. He waited. This time the news from George was better.

"He's alone. Whoever was with him isn't coming. If they're still alive, they won't be after the next set goes off. Are you sure you don't want me to blow up the tunnel he's in?"

"No. He still has his wand. He might find a way out. We can't take that chance. We have to be sure that he's dead."

Ron's voice came over the mirror again, "He's at the third scrying point. He's still alone. As soon as he opens the mouth we blow the rest of the tunnel."

"Great, Ron. I'll talk to you when this is all over."

Voldemort was not happy. The tunnel collapsing had cost him his remaining Death Eaters, except Snape (who was working on some potions), Malfoy's wife (who was off somewhere grieving), and Wormtail, who was hiding. He would punish them all when he was finished. He knew that he had walked into a trap after the first section of the tunnel collapsed. Nott had been the only one to be mobile after the first explosion. Unfortunately, he had lagged behind, and he vanished after the second blast.

Somehow he knew, just _knew_, that Potter was behind this. This time there would be no escape for him. There were no portkeys out. Voldemort had tried to use his emergency portkey already. Well, what's bad for the goose. . . .

He reached the end of the tunnel, and took down his award shield. He held it in his hand and cursed. He could tell that it wasn't the award he had received, and that his horcrux was now missing. Once he was done here, he resolved to check on the rest of them.

"_Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four,_" he hissed The tunnel opened in front of him. He was going to take a quick look out of the opening when there was another explosion, right behind him. He went flying through the mouth.

The brief moment he was in the air showed him something strange was going on. All over the Chamber were posters on walls. There must be scores of them, he thought, all over the chamber. Small, one meter by two meter walls.

He barely had time to notice that before he felt the affects of a momentum arresting featherfall charm that he cast upon himself. He landed in front of the statue, and noticed that the floor was covered with some sort of goo. He stood up and cast a cleaning spell. There was a sound off to the right. He looked that way with his wand ready, when instincts honed by fifty years of dueling warned him of the threat from the left. His shield spell stopped whatever it was that was coming towards him, and he cast a Killing Curse towards the unseen attacker. It hit one of the posters, and the wall it was attached to blew up. It had said, "Dark Lords never prosper." Others read "The weed of crime bares bitter fruit"; "Light rules!"; "Bad things happen to bad wizards"; and "Turn from the Dark Side, Tom." The last was created by Hermione.

"Come out Potter, and face me like a man."

Potters voice came from all over the Chamber, "But after everything you've done, you're not a man, anymore, Tom." All around the chamber various voices were laughing. Harry had enlisted the ghosts to help distract the Dark Lord.

Voldemort cast a few more Killing Curses at the posters. They were rude and referred to him.

"If you are planning to make me angry and hoping that I will make a mistake, you can think again. I've often dueled while angry. . . ."

Harry sent another spell at the Dark Lord, which got another killing spell in return, which gave Harry the chance he wanted. He cast a silent stunner at the Dark Lord, and the two spells collided.

And it worked. There were three potential flaws in his plan. The first would be that Voldemort wasn't alone. The second would be that Voldemort would get stuck in the tunnel and survive. The third was that Voldemort had replaced his wand.

But he hadn't. The spells hit, and the wands were joined. Phoenix song was heard in the Chamber again, and a golden dome appeared around Harry and Voldemort.

"Not this time, Potter!"

Harry said nothing. He hoped that the mirror in his pocket was sending the Phoenix song to the Great Hall. He knew that it was when the room burst into flames.

Harry's clothes were dragon hide, and resistant to fire and the amulet around his neck gave him the Flame Freeze charm, so he was protected. Voldemort struggled, but couldn't get his wand away from the connection it had with Harry's. He pulled enough concentration away from the battle of wills to cast the Flame Freeze charm on himself wandlessly.

The goo on the floor had been hastily brewed by a legion of Unspeakables under the direction of George. It was a variation of an old potion used to turn rope and string into fuses for fireworks. They had figured how to replace the whale oil with vegetable oil and Hermione had led a group to clean out several Muggle grocery stores of the stocks. You had to be careful moving on it, but it would accomplish Harry's purpose. It was burning quickly.

Harry saw what was happening as the red of his spell suddenly leaped forward, pushing the green spell back at Voldemort. Harry moved forward as fast as he could, following the red beam of the stun spell. Voldemort was hurt by the fire, but not too badly. Harry knew it wouldn't be permanent if Voldemort got away. He kept moving towards the Dark Lord, and his spell crept towards Voldemort's wand. The strange phenomenon of the brother wands completed -- they were in a golden dome floating above the fire.

Harry pushed forward, still closing in on Voldemort. His spell reached Voldemort's wand and ghostly figures started appearing. Harry was shocked to see the first one out was Draco.

"Kill him, Potter," the image said. More and more images appeared.

Voldemort wasn't surprised, this time. "It won't work, Potter! You have no place to run to." He was breathing fast.

He would not be overcome by Potter this time, he thought. All he had to do was concentrate. If only he could catch his breath! Why was his heart pounding so fast? He wasn't afraid! He wasn't!

"I'm not running. I'm waiting."

Voldemort's breathing became even faster. His eyes were wide, looking at the people he killed, most of them from the government building. He let go of the wand, breaking the connection. He was thrown backwards, and landed hard on his back. He gasped for breath. Harry floated to the floor.

Most of the fire was out. Harry could tell that there was still a lot of the flammable gel on the floor. Voldemort ripped his robes as he struggled to get air. Harry picked up Voldemort's wand and snapped it. Voldemort tried to say something, but couldn't get the words out. His mouth opened and closed, and nothing came out.

Harry drew the Sword of Gryffindor, and stabbed the Dark Lord. It may have been a magical body, but it was still a body, and blood gushed out of it until the heart stopped beating. Harry pulled the mirror out of his pocket and announced, "The Dark Lord Voldemort is dead." He walked over to the base of the statue and waited. Ghosts surrounded him, congratulating him. He ignored them. A moment later someone appeared. He stood up and Harry saw that it was the Minister of Magic.

"May I see the body before we go, Harry?"

Harry nodded wearily, pointed the direction, and waited for the Minister to return.

He returned and they squatted by the stone that touched a piece that was broken off it -- a portkey anchor. As Moody had said, most anti-portkey wards didn't affect portkeys with anchors.

"Harry, when they told me to put a bubblehead charm on, I was expecting to find this place underwater. Why do I need this charm? Everything seems alright."

"The fire burned off all the oxygen. And without oxygen, you'll die, even though there's plenty of air in here. I wonder if that's the power that the Dark Lord knows not. Muggle science?"

"I would say it was a brave heart, Mr. Potter."

"No. My parents had that, and Voldemort knows -- er, knew -- that he could over come that. Perhaps it's what Luna said. Maybe it's friends?"

"Could be, Mr. Potter. Could be. Well, let's get back, the press is waiting.

He continued, "By the way, collapsing the tunnel to the Chamber wasn't part of the plan."

Harry smiled. "Back up plan. If I failed, it would have taken him a while to get out. You would have had time to prepare." Scrimgeour nodded, and they portkeyed back to the Great Hall.

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"Narcissa, wake up please."

"What? Hello Severus."

"It's time to go."

"Go? Go where?"

"Someplace far away. Anyplace. It almost doesn't matter. It's over. Look at your arm."

"My dark mark is gone. It's completely gone! Does this mean. . . ?"

"Yes. He's gone for good. And we have to go, too."

"They'll be looking for us."

"Let them look. I never expected to live this long anyway."

"Will you stay with me?"

"Yes."

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Wormtail waited until the Dark Lord was gone with the rest of the Death Eaters. He Apparated to Surrey and turned into a rat. They would never think of looking here. Right where they knew Potter wouldn't be. He was safe. He found a hole to hide in. He knew the secret, he did. As long as he didn't think about it, the pains wouldn't come. It didn't matter if he _did_ it! As long as he didn't _think_ it. He took a nap.

He was awakened by a terrible pain in paw. He woke up screaming and with a rat's instincts started running. His silver paw was dissolving and it was causing him excruciating pain. He ran and screamed until Mr. Tibbies, one of Mrs. Figg's part-Kneazle cats, found him and ate him.

Mrs. Figg was quite upset when she discovered Mr. Tibbies' body the next day. He had consumed some of the remains of the silver hand, which turned out to be poisonous.

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Harry moved out of the Burrow and into his parent's house. He avoided most of the celebrations that accompanied Voldemort's death. He was emotionally exhausted, and contemplated not returning to school.

With the death of Professor Flitwick, the Fidelius charm ended on the house and he had Bill put it on again after he was inundated with strangers who wanted to thank him, or ask him to help them, or wanted him to give them money. He gave the secret to only the five friends who had gone to the ministry with him at the end of fifth year.

He stopped going to Neville's, and locked up the floo. He wasn't sure how he felt. Relief? Certainly. Hollowness? Definitely. Guilt? No. But happiness? He was happy that it was over, but he didn't think he was _happy._

He was shaken out of his introspection by a knock at the door.

He opened the door to two large, silvery eyes.

"Hullo, Harry."

"Luna, please come in."

"You're hiding."

"No one I really wanted to see was coming around, so I changed the Fidelius. I'm just not up to meeting anyone."

"You've succeeded beyond your wildest dreams, and now you don't have any more dreams. You need new dreams, Harry."

"I used to dream about being normal. I wasn't normal before this happened, and I certainly won't be considered normal now."

"Normal is vastly overrated. Nobody's normal. Just be Harry. He's a pretty good bloke. And if that's not good enough for some people, let them eat Snogworts."

Harry laughed. "You seem to have the power to make me feel better. I don't think we would have won if you hadn't been there at certain crucial times." Luna smiled at the complement.

Harry continued, "But speaking of eating, would you like to come with me to a restaurant. I don't think I've eaten anything today."

"Go with you . . . as friends?"

"No. As maybe something more than friends."

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**The End**

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******Author Note: **My very great thanks to this chapter's beta readers, Swordchucks and Wombat, who in record time defeated passive voice, confusing constructs, and incorrect words. My thanks to them and all my beta readers who not only gave you a better story, but helped me become a better writer..

This has been my first long fiction in many years, and the first completed. I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you to everyone who reviewed and encouraged me. It's been hard, exciting, fun, tedious, and slow in various places. I encourage everyone to give it a try!

Tom A.


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